Morgan Rielly scored at 19:15 of additional time and Ilya Samsonov made 36 saves because the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs got here again from a objective down late within the third interval Saturday to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 and take a 2-1 lead of their first-round playoff sequence.

The defenceman fired a shot from the facet boards that floated previous the ear of Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevsky earlier than getting mobbed by teammates.

Brandon Hagel, with a objective and an help, Anthony Cirelli and Darryn Raddysh replied for Tampa, which bought 24 stops from Vasilevskiy.

Game 4 of the best-of-seven matchup goes Monday again at Amalie Arena.

WATCH | Rielly lifts Maple Leafs over Lightning in OT:

Morgan Rielly performs the hero as Maple Leafs beat the Bolts in additional time

Morgan Rielly scored with 45 seconds remaining within the first additional time interval, because the Toronto Maple Leafs struck down the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3, to take a 2-1 lead of their first spherical playoff sequence.

Lighting defenceman Victor Hedman returned to the lineup after sitting out Game 2 with an undisclosed harm.

Toronto fell to the Lightning in a decent, seven-game sequence final spring on the similar stage of the playoffs.

The groups traded blowout victories to the open the sequence — the Lightning thumped the Leafs 7-3 within the opener earlier than Toronto responded with an equally emphatic 7-2 triumph in Game 2 to set the stage for a tightly contested affair.

Tied 2-2 after Saturday’s opening 20 minutes, Raddysh scored his first profession playoff objective at 13:34 of the second. The defenceman took a go on the level and wheel down the boards and round Samsonov’s internet — combating off each Matthew Knies and Jake McCabe within the course of — earlier than firing upstairs.

Injured in Game 7 of final yr’s sequence, Point left later within the interval after going shoulder-to-shoulder with Rielly and crashing into the boards.

Tampa’s 51-goal man tried to rise up, however crumpled to the ice earlier than heading to the locker room as gamers on either side dropped the gloves, together with a chaotic struggle between Matthews — his first within the NHL — and Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. Point finally returned to motion after receiving remedy.

Toronto, which misplaced Game 6 in the identical constructing final spring, had a two-minute energy play when the mud settled, however have been unable to capitalize with Matthews, Rielly and O’Reilly all within the field.

Samsonov saved his crew in it with a giant save on Nick Paul on the halfway level of the interval.

Matthews, Stamkos, O’Reilly and Tampa’s Nikita Kucherov all missed almost 9 minutes of motion due to the combating majors and an prolonged stretch with out a whistle.

O’Reilly bought Toronto again even with precisely a minute left in regulation and Samsonov on the bench for an additional attacker along with his second of the sequence from in tight after William Nylander threw the puck at Vasilevskiy to drive OT.

Samsonov made a pair enormous stops early within the additional interval that was principally one-way site visitors, together with on an important particular person effort from Kucherov earlier than Rielly gained it.

Looking to advance within the post-season for the primary time since 2004, the Leafs opened the scoring at 3:24 of the primary when Acciari scored on a three-on-two rush off a feed from Knies.

Tampa, which gained the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 earlier than additionally making final spring’s ultimate, responded 1:26 later when Cirelli fired previous Samsonov on one other odd-man rush.

Toronto went again in entrance at 11:10 on the finish of terrific shift when Matthews tipped a Marner one-timer previous Vasilevsky for his first objective of the playoffs.

The Leafs survived a late Lightning energy play, however Hagel tied it 2-2 when his shot hit the T.J. Brodie’s stick and snuck over the road beneath a splayed Samsonov with 30.1 seconds left within the interval.

Teams that take a 2-1 lead in a best-of-seven sequence maintain an all-time report of 374-165 (. 694), however have been only a 5-7 (. 417) mark final spring, together with 2-5 within the first spherical.