Babcock calls Game 7 vs. Bruins 'Opportunity of a lifetime'

After falling down 2-0 and 3-1 to the Boston Bruins in their opening-round series, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock wants his crew to relish the opportunity that didn't seem possible only a few days ago.

The Leafs staved off elimination for the second time on Monday night, forcing a Game 7 with a 3-1 win on home ice. Now, it's winner take all between the Atlantic Division rivals, and Babcock didn't mince his words on the magnitude of the situation.

"We've been talking about it all along, we're playing a really good team in Boston and this series is fun, it's high-end, there’s no room, they've got high-end players," Babcock said. "But, we think we're going to win. We've thought that all along, we started poorly and crawled our way back. Now, you have the opportunity of a lifetime."

The situation mirrors that of the 2013 postseason, when the Maple Leafs clawed back from a 3-1 deficit versus the Bruins in Round 1, only to infamously watch their 4-1 lead slip away in the third period of the series-deciding contest.

Toronto will once again travel to Boston carrying the momentum, but this time will seek to flip the script and finish the job in the only first-round series to go the distance.