BOSTON -- The Toronto Maple Leafs could change their starting goalie when they look to keep their season alive in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday.
Joseph Woll is likely to replace Ilya Samsonov, who started all four games in the series and has a 3.31 goals-against average and .890 save percentage. Woll made five saves in relief in a 3-1 loss in Game 4, his only appearance.
"For a young guy, he's been pretty steady," Maple Leafs forward Ryan Reaves said. "I'm excited to see him play, I think he's excited to get in there and do his thing, so I think we're a confident bunch when he's in the net."
The Bruins have grabbed hold of the series with consecutive wins, both coming on the road, to head back home to TD Garden with a chance to close out the series.
"Confident as we can be," Maple Leafs forward Max Domi said. "Just have to win a game. Starts with a good first shift from every guy and just go from there."
The Maple Leafs are 3-1 in their past four Game 5s when trailing 3-1 in a best-of-7 series, with Mitch Marner leading all current Toronto players with 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 11 potential elimination games played.
"You definitely felt the disappointment that the group had [after Game 4], but it was important we got right back to it the next day, bringing the guys in and talking through the situation," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "So, there's still tremendous belief in the group, but we also know what the challenge is, so that's why you try to focus on just tonight."
The Bruins know they can't let the Maple Leafs back in the series. Boston was up 3-1 in the first round against the Florida Panthers last season before losing in seven games.
"We talked about urgency, about the group this year, about how we need to get better because there's areas of our game that need to continue to get better if we're hoping to have success in the series," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "That's just the way it is."
Teams that hold a 3-1 lead in a best-of-7 series are 307-32 (.906) all-time.
Here are 3 keys for Game 5:
1. Matthews' status
Auston Matthews is a game-time decision Tuesday.
The Maple Leafs forward had perhaps his best game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring a goal and two assists in a 3-2 win in Game 2, with the goal standing as the game-winner.
It was a needed offensive outburst and stands as the only time in Toronto's past 11 playoff games it scored more than two goals.
Since then, it's been clear that Matthews is not right physically. He was removed by doctors in the third period of Game 4 and did not practice with the team Monday ahead of Game 5, though he did participate in the morning skate Tuesday for the first five minutes before leaving the ice.
"Obviously he was on the ice today, so he's working through things to try to make himself available to play," Keefe said. "No determination at this time."
Matthews led the NHL with 69 goals in the regular season.
2. Rewrite history
Being up 3-1 in a series isn't foreign to the Bruins. It's exactly where they found themselves last season heading into Game 5 at TD Garden against the Panthers with a chance to close out the series.
They didn't win.
"You always learn from last year, from the year before, the year before," forward Charlie Coyle said. "You learn from every playoff run you've been on. That's why having veterans on your team, guys who have been around, guys who have won, guys who have lost, it's great to have those people that have experienced the ups and the downs and you try to kind of ride that, I guess, in the room."
The Bruins have admitted that last season, a historic one when they set NHL single-season records for wins (65) and points (135), they were preparing themselves for a long playoff run. This season? They're not looking past the next game because they know what can happen.
3. Be special on special teams
The Bruins have dominated the special teams matchups, both on the penalty kill and the power play. That needs to change for the Maple Leafs.
Boston is 6-for-13 on the power play in the series. Toronto is 1-for-14.
Neither number reflects what the teams were able to do in the regular season, when the Bruins were 14th in the NHL on the power play (22.2 percent) and the Maple Leafs were seventh (24.0 percent). Nor does it exactly reflect their penalty kills, where the Bruins were tied for sixth (82.5 percent) and the Maple Leafs were tied for 22nd (76.9 percent).
It's a huge area of emphasis for both teams, and the battle could determine the winner of Game 5.
"We got to get one when that time comes and our group gets a chance to change momentum in the game," Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said. "We obviously need to be ready, and I think our game plan is solid. Our structure is solid, it's about execution. We've had our chances, but we haven't been able to get the puck over the line, so when that opportunity comes tonight, we've just got to be ready."
Maple Leafs projected lineup
Tyler Bertuzzi -- Max Domi -- Mitch Marner
Matthew Knies -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Nicholas Robertson -- Pontus Holmberg -- Calle Jarnkrok
Connor Dewar -- David Kampf -- Ryan Reaves
Morgan Rielly -- Ilya Lyubushkin
Simon Benoit -- Jake McCabe
Joel Edmundson -- TJ Brodie
Joseph Woll
Ilya Samsonov
Scratched: Martin Jones, Noah Gregor, Timothy Liljegren, Conor Timmins, Mark Giordano, Cade Webber
Injured: Auston Matthews (illness), Bobby McCann (lower body)
Bruins projected lineup
Jake DeBrusk -- Pavel Zacha -- David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand -- Charlie Coyle -- Morgan Geekie
James van Riemsdyk -- Trent Frederic -- Danton Heinen
Pat Maroon -- Jesper Boqvist -- Justin Brazeau
Mason Lohrei -- Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm -- Brandon Carlo
Matt Grzelcyk -- Parker Wotherspoon
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark
Scratched: Derek Forbort, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jakub Lauko, John Beecher
Injured: Andrew Peeke (upper body)
Status report
If Matthews is unable to play, Dewar would enter the lineup after not playing Game 4. … Samsonov and Jones were the two goalies who participated in the optional skate, indicating Woll will get his first start of the series for Toronto. … Forbort, a defenseman, and Brazeau are both "options" for Boston after recovering from injuries. Forbort has not played since March 2 because of undisclosed injuries and had surgery shortly after; Brazeau has not played since sustaining an upper-body injury in a 3-0 win against the Nashville Predators on April 2. … Grzelcyk is expected to replace Shattenkirk after not playing the past two games. … Heinen participated in the morning skate, but missed the previous few days for maintenance and is expected to play.
