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Toronto has willed its way back into the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Boston with consecutive elimination-game wins to force a decisive Game 7 in Boston on Saturday.

But the Leafs’ path from trailing the Bruins 3-1 into a do-or-die, winner-take-all outing might have been the easy part. What comes next — actually closing out Boston and advancing to the second round for only the second time since 2004 — will be an entirely different battle.

“All we’ve done is dig ourselves out of a hole that we created,” Sheldon Keefe said on Friday. “We haven’t accomplished nearly enough of what we set out to do. Now the real test comes, and the real opportunity.”

What’s less clear is whether Toronto’s best player will be back in the lineup for Game 7. Auston Matthews has been sidelined by what the Leafs deemed a “lingering” illness since being pulled from the third period of Game 4. He’s been skating with Toronto’s assistant coaches since then, but Matthews was ruled out for both Games 5 and 6. There appeared to be hope that Matthews might return for Game 7.

“There’s been progress,” Keefe said Friday. “He skated again here today, but no determination on his availability.”

Toronto has had to shuffle its forwards throughout the series already to accommodate William Nylander missing Games 1, 2 and 3 with an undisclosed injury. It was Nylander who powered the Leafs to a 2-1 victory in Game 6 Thursday by scoring both goals.

Keefe noted how the Leafs haven’t faced an opponent that’s desperate to keep their own season alive. When he reflected on Toronto’s situation Thursday, Keefe said it felt like the Leafs had just played two Game 7s to reach the real thing. And when they actually do, for once, the Bruins would have no excuse not to match Toronto’s level of urgency.

Boston coach Jim Montgomery has been vocal with his frustration over how the Bruins came out in Game 5 and Game 6, being outshot by a combined 23-3 in those first periods. The Bruins’ top skaters have also been quiet, prompting Montgomery to publicly call out star winger David Pastrnak after Game 6 for needing to “step up.”

There’s pressure — and painful history — for both teams entering Game 7. Toronto is 1-4 against Boston in series that have gone seven games, including back-to-back first-round defeats in 2018 and 2019. Meanwhile, the Bruins would live in infamy with a loss on Saturday as the only NHL, MLB or NBA team in history to blow consecutive 3-1 series leads in the playoffs (Boston was up by that margin over Florida in the first-round last year before eventually being jettisoned in Game 7).

While Montgomery can acknowledge the issues Boston has dealt with, he’s adamant the Bruins are taking steps to address those problems.

“We’re doing some things already to change what we hope [will create] a different start,” Montgomery said. “I’m an opportunistic, positive person. Even though I’m mad and frustrated at times, I look for ways to get better and to come out of it. How are we going to get better?”

That’s exactly the question he’s put toward Pastrnak and the rest of Boston’s premier players. Pastrnak has generated two goals and four points in the series but was missing from the scoresheet in Games 5 and 6. Brad Marchand has also failed to be the difference-maker he was earlier in the series — producing three goals and eight points — when Boston had a chance to send Toronto packing.

Montgomery said the message he relayed postgame Thursday about Pastrnak is the same one he brought to the Bruins’ room.

“I talked to [Pastrnak] right after the game about it,” Montgomery said. “I talked to him about it during the game. Pasta and I have a really healthy, communicative relationship, and he’s ready to go.”

Toronto’s power play has not been ready to go. It’s 1-for-20 in the playoffs.

Keefe made light of how ineffective the man advantage has been while declaring it still had time to make a comeback, too.

“We’re not going to decline the power play, no,” Keefe said jokingly. “We’ve changed things a lot. It’s a combination of giving the guys a really good recipe and a good plan and making adjustments, but also showing trust and confidence and faith and belief. As you’ve seen in our 5-on-5 game and our penalty kill the last two games. You see the confidence that comes through belief. The power play doesn’t have that right now. No better time for it to happen than Game 7. You talk about moments — the power play can come through for us at a moment like this, you can quickly forget anything that’s happened beforehand.”

What the Leafs don’t want is to lose their edge — more specifically, the tenacity that’s put the Bruins on the ropes with one last bout in Boston.

“We still have work to do,” Morgan Rielly said. “Not much changes to our approach or our mindset. We’re in a position where, if we win, we’re alive; if we lose, we’re dead. That’s where we’ve been the last two games and I think we’ve performed well under those circumstances.”

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Red Sox 1B Casas out for year after knee surgery

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Red Sox 1B Casas out for year after knee surgery

BOSTON — Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas suffered a ruptured tendon in his left knee and is out for the remainder of the season, the team said.

The 25-year-old Casas ruptured his patellar tendon running to first on a slow roller up the line and fell awkwardly in Boston’s victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. After laying on his back in pain — not moving the knee — he was carted off on a stretcher before being taken to a Boston hospital.

The team announced Sunday that he had surgery for a left patellar tendon repair at Massachusetts General Hospital. The surgery was performed by Dr. Eric Berkson.

“I talked to him last night,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said in a news conference on Saturday discussing the injury outside Boston’s clubhouse. “We exchanged text messages [Saturday]. We all care deeply about just his overall wellbeing.”

Manager Alex Cora said Casas worked hard during the offseason to play every day after missing a large amount of last year with torn cartilage in his rib cage.

“He did an outstanding job in the offseason to put himself in that situation. It didn’t start the way he wanted it to,” Cora said of Casas’ struggles. “He was going to play and play a lot. Now we’ve got to focus on the rehab after the surgery and hopefully get him back stronger than ever and ready to go next year.”

Casas batted just .182 with three homers and 11 RBIs, but Breslow said his loss will be felt, especially with the team’s lack of depth at the position.

“He certainly struggled through the first month of the season but that didn’t change what we believe his production was capable of being,” Breslow said. “It’s a big loss. In addition to what we think we were going to get on the offensive side, he was kind of like a stabilizing presence on the defensive side of the field — also a big personality and a big part of the clubhouse.”

During spring training, Casas talked about how his focus at the plate this season was being more relaxed.

“You really want it until you don’t,” he said, explaining his thoughts while standing at his locker. “Then you can’t want it that much.”

Now, he’ll have to focus on his recovery plan for next season.

Casas, a left-handed batter, was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with infielder/outfielder Abraham Toro selected from Triple-A Worcester.

Cora said Toro — a switch-hitter — will split time at first along with Romy Gonzalez. who bats right-handed.

Breslow said the team might be exploring a long-term replacement.

“This is unfortunately an opportunity to explore what’s available,” he said. “We’ll look both internally and outside as well.”

Cora said there are no plans to move Rafael Devers, who was replaced at third by offseason free-agent acquisition Alex Bregman and moved to DH.

“We asked him to do something in spring training that in the beginning he didn’t agree with it and now he’s very comfortable doing what he’s doing,” Cora said. “Like I told you guys in spring training, he’s my DH.”

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3B Ramirez (ankle) returns to Guardians’ lineup

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3B Ramirez (ankle) returns to Guardians' lineup

TORONTO — Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez was back in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, two days after the third baseman left in the third inning because of a mild right ankle sprain.

The six-time All-Star was injured when he stumbled and fell while crossing first base on an infield single. Ramirez went down after being struck in the back by a throw from Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt.

Ramirez was batting third Sunday against right-hander Bowden Francis.

Ramírez sat out Saturday when Cleveland beat Toronto 5-3. He went 2 for 2 before departing Friday, boosting his average to .274. He has five home runs and 15 RBIs in 31 games.

In last Thursday’s 4-3 victory over Minnesota, Ramirez became the first primary third baseman to reach 250 homers and 250 stolen bases.

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Yankees’ Volpe day-to-day after tests on shoulder

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Yankees' Volpe day-to-day after tests on shoulder

NEW YORK — Shortstop Anthony Volpe was not in the New York Yankees‘ starting lineup Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays, a day after he injured his left shoulder on a dive while trying to get to a grounder.

“X-rays, MRI — good news,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s sore today, but I feel like we’re probably in a good spot. We’ll see. Kind of day to day right now.”

Volpe remained in the game after his unsuccessful attempt for a backhand stab on Christopher Morel‘s eighth-inning single, which sparked a two-run rally in Tampa Bay’s 3-2 win Saturday.

Volpe said after the game he heard a pop in the shoulder.

“It’s a little unclear in there. He’s got some stuff that they feel like is older stuff, so hard to know exactly,” Boone said. “He’s definitely a little cranky in the shoulder today.”

Volpe, 24, is hitting .233 with five homers, 19 RBIs and four stolen bases in his third season with the Yankees.

Oswald Peraza was listed to start at shortstop, batting ninth.

New York already is missing second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (strained right oblique), third baseman DJ LeMahieu (strained left calf), ace Gerrit Cole (Tommy John surgery) and right-hander Luis Gil (right lat strain), the reigning AL Rookie of the Year.

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