Nylander scores twice, Maple Leafs win to eliminate Senators

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The Maple Leafs’ core can score.

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Finally, when it mattered most.

And how about that wily veteran Max Pacioretty?

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On the strength of goals by William Nylander, captain Auston Matthews and Pacioretty, the Leafs advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 4-2 win in Game 6 against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

Pacioretty, moved up the lineup to start the game, scored through a screen at 14:21 of the third period  at the Canadian Tire Centre for the winning goal.

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Nylander, on his 29th birthday, scored his second goal of the game into an empty Senators net with 19 seconds left to seal the win.

“Proud of the guys,” Matthews told Sportsnet after the game. “That’s one step.”

David Perron scored the tying goal at 12:40 of the third immediately after the Leafs killed off a Morgan Rielly minor. Matthew Knies failed to clear the puck and the Sens took control. Thomas Chabot got the puck to Perron, who banked it off Anthony Stolarz as he was skating behind the Leafs net.

After losing the previous two games, the Leafs played tight hockey to take the best-of-seven Battle of Ontario in six games. Stolarz finished with 21 saves.

The Leafs have won a playoff round for the second time in the era headed by Matthews, Nylander and Mitch Marner. In the same span, they’re now 2-13 in games when they’ve had the opportunity to close out an opponent in an elimination game.

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Next up are the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

The Leafs will clash with the Panthers for the second time, two years after Florida eliminated Toronto in five games in the second round.

The Leafs avoided what would have been an embarrassing incident, never mind inexcusable.

Nylander was not listed on the original official roster — his brother Alex, recalled with other Toronto Marlies when the farm club was ousted last weekend, instead was listed. William was listed as a scratch.

National Hockey League rules dictate, however, that if an official (on ice or off ice) notices a player is in uniform but not on the official game report, one of the referees can bring it to the attention of the offending team so the correction can be made. Had the game started and the correction not been made, William Nylander could have removed from the game.

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Nylander, after taking a pass from Pacioretty, put the Leafs up 2-0 at 43 seconds of the second period when he beat goalie Linus Ullmark under the blocker.

Sens captain Brady Tkachuk scored at 7:28 of the second when he tipped a Chabot pass into the roof of the net over Stolarz.

The Leafs hadn’t scored in their past 30 power plays in potential closeout games since 2018.

That zero disappeared at 18:50 of the first period.

Rather than unleash one of his customary powerful shots, Matthews went the changeup route and slid a shot along the ice. With Knies providing a screen, Ullmark took a peek to the opposite side of the Leafs forward from Matthews’ shot and couldn’t recover in time to make a save.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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