Matthews, Leafs wake up and get back in series with Game 3 win over Bruins

Auston Matthews scored the go-ahead goal in the second period as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated Boston 4-2 on Monday to cut the Bruins' lead in their first-round series to 2-1.

Patrick Marleau, with two, and James van Riemsdyk also scored for Toronto, while Mitch Marner and Morgan Rielly added two assists each.

Frederik Andersen made 40 saves to get the win.

Adam McQuaid and Zdeno Chara replied for Boston. Sean Kuraly had two assists for the Bruins, who got 26 stops from Tuukka Rask.

The Leafs will look to even the Eastern Conference quarterfinal in Thursday's Game 4 before the series shifts back to Boston for Game 5 on Saturday.

Held pointless through 120 minutes where Toronto was outscored, outmuscled and outplayed in losing by a combined 12-4 scoreline at TD Garden, Matthews snapped a 2-2 tie with 5:13 left in the second when he rifled a shot shortside upstairs on Rask from a sharp angle after a great feed down low by William Nylander.

Boston's top line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron was held scoreless after totaling 20 points over the first two games of the  series.

But the Maple Leafs finally had an answer on this night as the Bruins' trio failed to find the range.

The Boston power play — which went 5 for 10 in the first two games — got its first opportunity early in the third, but Pastrnak hit the post off a feed from Rick Nash.

The Maple Leafs finally sealed it with 3:35 left when Marleau scored his second of night on a 2-on-1 rush, firing a shot past Rask for the 70th career playoff goal.

Pulled after allowing three goals on five shots in the first period of Game 2, Andersen robbed Pastrnak on a jaw-dropping diving stick save with Rask on the bench for an extra skater with just over two minutes to go to help preserve Toronto's win.

Toronto led 1-0 after the first, but Boston tied it at 3:06 of the second when McQuaid's shot from the point squeezed under Andersen's pad and dribbled in. The goal came moments after Andersen made a stellar glove save from his belly on David Krejci with Nash and Travis Dermott battling in the blue paint.

The Maple Leafs went back ahead 43 seconds later when Marner controlled a pass off the boards from Rielly before feeding Marleau in front.

But the Bruins again responded when Chara ripped a shot off Andersen's mask and in from an impossible angle at 6:19.

Toronto's Kasperi Kapanen, who hit the post early his team's ugly 7-3 loss in Game 2, found iron again later in the period on a shot that beat Rask clean, but Matthews would make no mistake later in the period.

The Maple Leafs had a number of chances early as they returned to a boisterous Air Canada Centre before a controversial sequence led to the opening goal.

Boston was left fuming after center Riley Nash, who returned to the lineup after suffering an ear laceration on March 31, was ruled to have put the puck directly over the glass for a delay of game penalty with just over three minutes left in the first, even though replays suggested otherwise.

Toronto, which was 1 for 7 with the man advantage through the first two games, made the Bruins pay just 7 seconds later when van Riemsdyk scored his second goal of the series, slipping the rebound of Tyler Bozak's initial shot through Rask at 17:05 to give the Leafs their first lead of the series.

The Maple Leafs had a couple of other opportunities earlier in the period, but Rask stretched to rob Andreas Johnsson with a great save before Kapanen didn't get all of his backhand attempt on a breakaway.

But apart from van Riemsdyk's goal, the biggest cheer came when Zach Hyman leveled Marchand with a solid hit that sent the Bruins winger flying.