David Pastrnak, with an objective and a help, Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen responded for Boston (5-1-2), which got 25 stops from Jaroslav Halak.

"Give their goaltender credit," DeBrusk stated. "He provided an opportunity."

The Leafs played their first video game without captain and star centre John Tavares, who suffered a damaged finger Wednesday and will be sidelined a minimum of two weeks. The Bruins, on the other hand, were missing experienced centre David Krejci [upper-body injury] for a 3rd straight video game.

"It's big," Rielly, who scored his very first 2 objectives of the season, stated of the triumph. "A team within the division, not having [Tavares] ... simply a point in our year where we wish to start.

"We answered the bell."

Babcock tosses curveball

Toronto head coach Mike Babcock threw an early curveball after going through Friday's practice and Saturday's warmup with Matthews centring William Nylander and Andreas Johnsson, and Alexander Kerfoot in between Marner and Ilya Mikheyev.

The Leafs rather began with Matthews-Marner-Johnsson and Kerfoot-Nylander-Mikheyev, and played with the top-six forward group at times throughout the night, depending upon the situation. Johnsson left in the second period after blocking a shot and didn't return.

Babcock wouldn't expose his plan moving forward-- namely whether or not Matthews and Marner will continue playing together with Tavares on the rack till at least early November.

"We'll just attempt to examine," stated the coach. "We'll look at it, get it determined and then go from there."

Down 2-1 regardless of a dominate 2nd, the Bruins connected ball game at 1:36 of the third just as a Leafs' penalty will end when Heinen wired his first.

However Toronto responded simply 61 seconds later when Kerfoot backhanded a loose puck past Halak for his third.

Andersen faced 33 shots through 2 durations, and the Boston kept coming late in the 3rd, with Pastrnak connecting things at 15:34 when he blasted a one-timer to force overtime.

Pastrnak now has nine objectives, including seven in the last three video games, to connect Edmonton's James Neal for the NHL lead.

Toronto lost to Boston in the opening round of the playoffs each of the last 2 springs-- both series went the range-- but with Tavares, Zach Hyman (knee) and Travis Dermott (shoulder) all out injured, and some significant roster restructuring in the off-season, just 9 of the 18 skaters worn Game 7 back on April 23 remained in Saturday's lineup.

The Bruins, who went on to make the Stanley Cup last before losing in Game 7 versus the St. Louis Blues, dressed 13 skaters from that 5-1 triumph versus the Leafs.

Toronto and Boston will play the rematch at TD Garden on Tuesday, but the Leafs need to first stress over Monday's go to from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The house side opened the scoring at 5:55 of Saturday's perky first when Rielly's point shot with Johnsson fighting in front went in off a Bruins' defenceman.

Timashov made it 2-0 at 15:44 when the rookie winger got the puck from Frederik Gauthier and moved into the slot before roofing his first-career goal past Halak.

"It's a dream come true," Timashov said.

The Bruins, who had 18 shots in the opening period, finally got on the board with 20.6 seconds left prior to the intermission when DeBrusk benefited from some bad Leafs' defending.

Coming off Thursday's 4-3 shootout lost in your home to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston fed off that objective in the second and had Toronto on its heels.

Patrice Bergeron and DeBrusk missed what looked like a sure objectives on tap-ins at the side of the web. Bergeron and Marchand were then both denied on a power play by Andersen, whose group was 1-3-0 against the Bruins last season, however is 1-0-0 in 2019-20.

"Saturday night hockey," Andersen said. "It does not get much better."