FINAL: Game 5 - Maple Leafs 2, Bruins 1 (OT) - Knies gets game-winner as Gryzelcyk beat late

2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Eastern Conference First round

WHO: Bruins at Maple Leafs, Game 5
WHEN: 7 p.m.
WHERE: TD Garden.
TV: NESN, ESPN
RADIO: 98.5-FM The Sports Hub

LIVE BOX SCORE

SERIES (Bruins lead 3-2)

April 20: Boston 5, Toronto 1
April 22: Toronto 3, Boston 2
April 24: Boston 4, Toronto 2
April 27: Boston 3, Toronto 1
Tuesday: Toronto 2, Boston 1 (OT)
Thursday: Game 6 at Toronto, TBD
*May 4: Game 7 at Boston, TBD

* - If necessary.

ROSTERS

PROJECTED LINES

Boston

Jake DeBrusk — Pavel Zacha — David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand — Charlie Coyle — Morgan Geekie
James van Riemsdyk — Trent Frederic — Danton Heinen
Justin Brazeau — Jesper Boqvist — Pat Maroon

Mason Lohrei — Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm — Brandon Carlo
Matt Grzylcyk — Parker Wotherspoon

Jeremy Swayman

Toronto

Tyler Bertuzzi — Max Domi — Mitch Marner
Matthew Knies — John Tavares — William Nylander
Nick Robertson — Pontus Holmberg — Calle Jarnkrok
Connor Dewar — David Kampf — Ryan Reaves

Morgan Rielly — Ilya Lyubushkin
Simon Benoit — Jake McCabe
Joel Edmundson — Timothy Liljegren

Joseph Woll

PREGAME NOTES

 - Auston Matthews reportedly will not play with Toronto's season on the line. From The Athletic:

Matthews has been battling an illness and was forced to sit out the third period of Saturday’s Game 4 against the Boston Bruins. According to sources, he is also believed to be nursing an undisclosed injury, which made it more likely than not that he wouldn’t be able to play Tuesday with the Leafs trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

He appears to be doing everything he can to try and play.

Matthews was the first Leaf to hit the TD Garden ice for an optional morning skate on Tuesday – appearing at 11:08 a.m. for the scheduled 11:30 a.m. skate. It looked like a sign that maybe he would be available to play in Game 5.

Matthews worked directly with Leafs assistant coach Manny Malhotra.

The two fired pucks back and forth to one another from a close distance. Matthews received passes on his forehand, brought the puck quickly to his backhand, and then flung it back to Malholtra. Then, Matthews stood in front of the net and tipped pucks that Malhotra shot from distance. He got his stick on just about every one of the dozen or so Malhotra fired.

And that was it.

Matthews didn’t exert himself much at all, which is noteworthy because, as head coach Sheldon Keefe explained over the weekend: “The effects have lingered and gotten worse when he’s on the ice asserting himself.”

Matthews left the ice after just eight minutes. He sat out practice entirely on Monday.

Though the Leafs didn’t officially rule him out for the game, Keefe didn’t seem overly optimistic about the possibility of Matthews playing when speaking with reporters. Should Matthews be unable to go, it would be only the second game he’s missed all season after sitting out one in December due to illness.

It would also be the first playoff game he’s missed during an eight-year NHL career.

“It’s always the doctor’s call,” Keefe said. “The doctors always make the call for the players in their best interests. They don’t put anybody in harm’s way.”

Team doctors pulled Matthews from Game 4 after the second period.

- Joseph Woll will make his first start of the series in place of Ilya Samsonov.

- Pavel Zacha on the tonight's Game 5: "We expect them to come out hard. We have to know they came out pretty good every game and I think that’s something we have to really focus on with a good start and I think we’re ready for that."

- Derek Forbort could make his return to the lineup (March 2nd).

"Derek Forbort has progressed well, he's showing a tremendous willingness to want to come back and help us this year, right now. We didn't expect him you know, to be even close," Montgomery said.