Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said the team’s strategy in overtime was to keep things simple, which helped them get the winner from Simon Benoit.

Matthews beat Shane Pinto on the draw and got the puck back to the point where Benoit fired a slap shot through a screen. Linus Ullmark had no chance of tracking that puck, and as a result, the Leafs have a commanding 3-0 series lead.

“ I think at that point in the game, you just want to kind of simplify things and you never know what’s gonna happen when you throw a puck to the net,” he said to reporters after the game. “That’s kind of what we wanted to do, was just try to win the face off and just try to get a shot to the net, converge on it and see what happens.  But Benny took care of that and just sniped it right away.  I think just getting bodies in front of the goalie, trying to take his eyes away, and letting him do his thing, I guess.”

This marks the second consecutive game that Benoit was involved in the overtime winner. During Game 2 on Tuesday, he intercepted a pass from Drake Batherson and led the rush the other way before dropping the puck off to Max Domi, who scored the winner. Part of the reason he could find the twine was because Benoit parked himself in front of the net to provide a screen in front of Ullmark.

Offence may not be a key part of Benoit’s repertoire, but he has certainly come into his own when it has mattered the most.

“He just continues to get better. When he first joined us last year, obviously his physical presence defensively. He’s long, he has a long stick. He’s a big body,” Matthews said. “ This time of year, the little plays, the details and all that stuff really matter. On the last two overtimes, he’s made big plays for our team and came up big on the offensive side of the puck as well as the defensive side.  It’s been great to see, you need guys like that to step up this time of year. It takes a full group effort.”

As a result of the Benoit goal, the Leafs now have a chance to close out the series in Game 4 on Saturday. But just because they are on the doorstep of the second round, it does not mean that the job is done and that they can rest on their laurels.

Matthews knows all too well what can happen when you let your foot off the gas with a win away from punching your ticket to the next round, as evidenced by the 2021 series against the Montreal Canadiens in which the Leafs squandered a 3-1 series lead.

“ To be honest, it doesn’t really mean anything.  The fourth game’s the hardest one to win,” he said on what it means to be up 3-0. “We’re gonna enjoy this one and then tomorrow, we’re gonna rest up, do what we need to do to get prepared for the fourth game.  Just continue to put our best foot forward and stay focused, stay dialled in. Like I said, the fourth one’s the hardest one to win. Can’t take our foot off the gas.”

Matthews and the Leafs have a chance to sweep a series for the first time since the early 2000s, which also came against the Ottawa Senators, and like he said, the fourth win of a series is always the hardest to secure.

“They’re gonna be ready to play, they’re gonna be a desperate team on Saturday, and we need to be ready with a response.”