TORONTO - Tyler Bozak scored the go-ahead power-play goal with less than two minutes left and the Toronto Maple Leafs earned a 4-2 victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday night.

The win pulled the Leafs (81 points) within one point of the Bruins (82 points) for third place in the Atlantic division.

Toronto, holding the final wild-card position in the Eastern Conference, also has a game in hand.

Morgan Rielly, William Nylander and Nazem Kadri also scored for the Leafs, who swept the season series with Boston. Frederik Andersen was sharp with 32 saves, James van Riemsdyk added two assists.

David Backes and Dominic Moore scored for the Bruins, Tuukka Rask allowed two goals on 27 shots.

A malfunctioning clock briefly delayed the start of the game and wasn't used until the start of the third period.

Game time was announced at stoppages by the public address announcer and displayed in a corner of the videoboard - issues that were most apparent during power plays with no time counting down penalties.

The opening 20 minutes were choppy as a result of the malfunctions but also entertaining. The two teams traded chances with playoff positioning on the line.

The Bruins opened the scoring though just over seven minutes in.

Emerging Hart Trophy candidate Brad Marchand set up Backes for the goal, one he fired as two Leafs defenders - Jake Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev - converged without effect.

Marchand earned his 80th point of the season on the play, duking it out with Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Patrick Kane, among others, for MVP as well as the Art Ross Trophy for the league's top scorer.

Marchand was selected as the first star for last week by the NHL after getting five goals and nine points in three games. Backes, meanwhile, was questionable to even play after missing the morning skate with an illness.

There was a playoff-like vibe to the evening with intensity and scrappy play to match.

Connor Carrick, who was returning from an 11-game absence because of an injury, traded feisty blows at one point with David Pastrnak. The Bruins were perturbed a short while later when Nikita Soshnikov hit Patrice Bergeron from behind in the corner of the Boston zone.

Bergeron leaped up after the hit and grabbed Soshnikov with both players drawing minor penalties.

The Leafs gained energy as the period went on.

After nearly scoring on a pass from van Riemsdyk, Mitch Marner dished to Rielly for the game-tying goal with less than six minutes remaining in the first. Rielly's initial attempt was stopped by Rask, but the defender's momentum carried him and the puck (off his leg) into the goal.

It was the sixth goal of the season for Rielly and third in the past five games.

Toronto had a two-man advantage for more than a minute late in the first, but failed to score. Brian Boyle's tip of a point shot was stopped as was Auston Matthews' shot on a drop feed from Kadri.

Marchand's pesky ways were apparent early in the second, the 28-year-old goading Zaitsev into a cross-checking penalty. The Russian defenseman, noticeably frustrated, first hacked Marchand's leg after the whistle and then shoved him into the sideboards.

The Leafs nearly went ahead in the opening minutes of the third - seconds on the clock successfully ticking down on the scoreboard - Zach Hyman's shot from in tight was stopped by Rask with Matthews unable to get his stick on a rebound. A few minutes later, Marner spun around and dished a one-time feed to van Riemsdyk, who whistled a shot wide.

Then Boston proceeded to nearly score when Andersen bobbled a shot off the rush, the Bruins circling for the rebound.

Bergeron drew the ire of the Leafs when he bumped Andersen - with help from a shove from Leo Komarov. Komarov and Bergeron traded chirps and shoves between whistles.

The Leafs got a power play with less than three minutes to go in the third when Moore was whistled for interfering with Soshnikov. A day after his 31st birthday, Bozak beat Rask from the slot for the go-ahead goal - his 17th of the season.

Nylander extended his point streak to eight games by scoring his 19th of the season into an empty net.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs bagged a critical regulation victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday when they capitalized on a late man advantage awarded on a questionable penalty call on Dominic Moore.

Given the stakes, Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy was understandably aggravated, calling the interference minor "egregious."

He added in conversation with Sportsnet's Luke Fox, "It was a great game until the penalty call."

Moore was flagged for this bump on an engaged Nikita Soshnikov while angling for position with his net-front drive.

Tyler Bozak scored on the ensuing power play, giving the Maple Leafs their first lead with less than two minutes remaining in the game. They would score twice into the empty net to complete the four-game season sweep.

Toronto's now just one point behind Boston with a game in hand in the chase for the final top-three seed in the Atlantic Division.

(Video Courtesy: Stanley Cup of Chowder)

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Big game in Toronto on Monday night.

The Maple Leafs and Bruins tangled for the fourth and final time this season, and with Toronto entering the game only three points back of Boston in the Atlantic Division - and a wildly contested wild-card race in the East - the game came down to the final minutes.

With slightly under three minutes to play in a 1-1 game, Toronto was gifted a power play on a soft interference call against Dominic Moore, and just about a minute later, Tyler Bozak gave Toronto a lead it wouldn't relinquish (after Rask absolutely robbed Bozak a few seconds before his goal).

Cue a table slap from Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan - and absolutely no reaction whatsoever from Toronto general manager Lou Lamoriello.

Playoff fever: Shanahan's got it. And he showed it, for one brief second.

As for Lamoriello, he's nothing but a professional. But we're going to assume he's got that fever, too. He has to, right?

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Tuukka Rask will haunt Maple Leafs supporters forever.

The one-time prized Toronto prospect was at it again Monday at the Air Canada Centre, making a stupendous desperation save on Matt Hunwick, with a little luck involved.

Rask got a piece of Hunwick's shot, after he was set up brilliantly by James van Riemsdyk, and it was enough to slow down the puck, so much so that it ended up on the back of Rask's outstretched right leg. He knew it, he felt it, and used his left leg to make sure the puck didn't end up in the net.

Here's the play in detail:

The Bruins acquired Rask, who was drafted 21st overall in 2005 by the Maple Leafs, on June 24, 2006 in a one-for-one trade for Andrew Raycroft.

Fair to say Boston won that trade.

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With the patience to apply the bunt after the puck dropped below the crossbar, Patrick Maroon hit the 25-goal plateau Monday versus the Los Angeles Kings with some tidy hand-eye coordination.

Maroon's career-best goal total entering the year was 11. He has 22 at even strength alone in his first full season with the Edmonton Oilers.

The super sophomore who sent the puck airborne for Maroon with a shot off the shoulder of Jonathan Quick, Connor McDavid, reclaimed a provisional lead in the NHL scoring race with his 81st point.

(Video courtesy NHL.com)

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Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk will sit for two.

The 19-year-old rookie has been suspended two games for an elbow to the head of Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty on Sunday night, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Monday.

Here's the explanation from the league:

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

Doughty wasn't injured on the play, but he wasn't happy about it.

"He's a pretty dirty player, that kid," Doughty said of Tkachuk after Sunday's game.

Tkachuk will forfeit $10,277.78 in salary and will miss road games in Washington on Tuesday and Nashville on Thursday.

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PITTSBURGH - Jake Guentzel still finds himself staring. And really, it's kind of hard to blame him.

A year ago he was fresh out of Nebraska-Omaha trying to find his legs with the Pittsburgh Penguins' AHL affiliate, all speed and youth and talent anxious at what the future might hold.

And here he is now, the youngest member of the NHL's hottest line, sharing the ice with his childhood idol thinking to himself, `Yes, that really is Sidney Crosby over there.''

Gulp.

''It's crazy,'' Guentzel said with a shrug.

And at the moment kind of unstoppable for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who remain in the thick of the Metropolitan Division race with Washington and Columbus despite missing 66 percent of its starting blue line and center Evgeni Malkin, who is out with an upper body injury that will keep him out of the lineup in Buffalo on Tuesday.

Yet the Penguins have stayed afloat anyway thanks in part to Crosby's usual brilliance and an unexpected alliance created on the fly by head coach Mike Sullivan.

Developing chemistry with the best player in the world can be an inexact science. Crosby, the 22-year-old Guentzel and 24-year-old Conor Sheary have created some almost instantaneously since Sullivan threw them together against Edmonton earlier this month.

In the six games since they've started hopping over the boards together, they've combined for 10 of Pittsburgh's 20 goals and racked up 16 assists.

Every red-light moment of Crosby's natural hat trick in Sunday's 4-0 victory over Florida came courtesy of the sticks of his precocious linemates, the ones who make up for in enthusiasm and innate hockey IQ what they lack in experience.

''The main thing is that we're consistently getting chances,'' said Crosby, who leads the NHL with 40 goals. ''With that, it doesn't matter who gets them, they'll go in. Those guys have a ton of speed and they're strong on pucks and making plays. We'll continue to get better.''

They'll certainly continue to play together indefinitely, though Crosby isn't one for trying to come up with some sort of gimmicky nickname like the ''HBK'' - Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel - that played so well together during last spring's run to the Cup a local restaurant chain created a sandwich in their honor.

''I never got into the lines or the nicknames and I'm not going to start now,'' Crosby said with a laugh. ''I'll leave that up to you guys.''

At 29, Crosby's old enough to know that nothing lasts forever. ''HBK'' might have been a revelation last summer, but they've long since split up.

For now, Sid and the Kids (just a suggestion) will keep doing what they're doing, which is mainly keeping defenses scrambling to keep up.

''Sid's the glue there that holds that line together but certainly the three of them, to a man they've all played terrific for us,'' Sullivan said.

While playing alongside Crosby certainly helps, Sheary and Guentzel are more than keeping up. Sheary managed just seven goals in 44 games as a rookie in 2015-16. He's already at 20 goals in 51 so far this season, a 5-foot-8 gnat in skates relentlessly working his way into tight spaces or beating opponents to loose pucks.

They also keep their heads up rather than developing tunnel vision about getting to the net and hoping for the best. Call it the byproduct of knowing Crosby is liable to try to find them at any moment while trying to thread a pass few others can make.

Crosby and Sheary both offered Guentzel - who had two goals during his auspicious NHL debut in a loss to the New York Rangers in November - the same bit of advice so he wouldn't get too wide-eyed.

''I may have told him once or twice just play your game,'' said Sheary, who went through a similar indoctrination process of learning to play with Crosby last season. ''Other than that he's a smart enough player, he's a good enough player. He can play with anyone.''

It certainly looks that way. While it's hard to imagine Steph Curry or LeBron James hitting the court with two rookies in tow, Crosby has embraced the opportunity.

While Sullivan stressed that Crosby remains ''the glue,'' having two players who seem immune to the pressure that comes with playing in the spotlight with the face of the NHL helps.

''I don't think one's a scorer or one's a passer,'' Sullivan said. ''I think they're hockey players and they just play hockey. When the shot's there, they shoot. When it's not, they have the vision and the awareness and they see it.''

And just as importantly, they're oblivious to the pressure of the moment. A quality that will be in high demand when Pittsburgh begins its quest to become the first team in two decades to repeat next month. No staring allowed.

''Growing up you watch (Crosby),'' Guentzel said. ''So to be honest it's pretty special. I'm trying to make the most of it.''

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With nary a windup from outside the circle, Jack Eichel clobbered a one-touch shot through Petr Mrazek on the power play to reach the 50-point mark in his sophomore season.

The NHL-grade snipe puts Eichel within three goals and six points of matching his rookie totals through 51-plus games. His near point-per-game output since making his season debut in late November sits just outside the NHL's top 10 scorers.

(Video courtesy: NHL.com)

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The U.S. women's national hockey team and USA Hockey both released statements after the two parties met Monday for over 10 hours to discuss fair wage and support issues. Both said the day's events were productive and talks are set to continue in the coming days.

Here's the team's statement:

Today, nearly 20 players from the U.S. Women's National Hockey Team and their Ballard Spahr lawyers met with USA Hockey to negotiate equitable support and fair wages. The discussions were productive and will continue this week, with the goal of reaching an agreement that would allow the players to get to camp in time to train for and compete in the World Championships. The players are hopeful they will get to take to the ice and represent their country. They would like to again thank their fans for their support throughout this process.

And USA Hockey's:

We had productive meetings today with players that are part of the U.S. Women's National Team program and their representatives, and conversations will continue this week. Our goal remains to have the players we previously announced as the U.S. Women's National Team be the group that represents our country at the upcoming 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship.

The world championship is set to begin March 31 in Plymouth, Mich.

Last week, the team announced its boycott due to inequitable wages and a lack of support from USA Hockey.

"We are asking for a living wage and for USA Hockey to fully support its programs for women and girls and stop treating us like an afterthought," Meghan Duggan, who captained last year's squad at the tournament, said.

"We have represented our country with dignity and deserve to be treated with fairness and respect."

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Morgan Rielly never gave up.

The Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman followed through Monday after grabbing a backhanded pass from rookie forward Mitch Marner before knocking the puck past Boston Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask.

The goal marked Rielly's third in his past five games.

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