Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and Craig Berube laud Simon Benoit after his Game 3 OT winner 

The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in overtime on Thursday. Simon Benoit scored the winning goal in Game 3, taking them close to their second playoff series win since 2004. Auston Matthews won a face-off and Benoit one-timed the puck through traffic. It was Benoit’s first NHL playoff goal, and he now has two points in three postseason games.

Benoit is mostly known for his strong defensive play. In this playoff series, he has surprised many with his offensive efforts. Matthews praised him for making big plays in two straight overtime games.

"He just continues to get better," Matthews said. "...On the last two overtimes, he's made big plays for our team. He's come up big on the offensive side of the puck as well as the defensive side."

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Marner added that Benoit has worked hard and gained confidence.

"He works extremely hard, and his offensive game has turned around this year with confidence," Marner said. "He’s made great plays when needed .... he's done an amazing job defensively .... "

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Both Matthews and Marner are happy with his growth this season. Coach Craig Berube also spoke about Benoit after the win, calling him tough to play against and praising his all-around game.

"Benny has played extremely well for us defensively; he is hard to play against and does all of those things. Very happy for him," Berube said.

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Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner on 3 first-period penalties

In the first period, the Senators pushed hard, but the Maple Leafs handled the pressure. Ottawa took a 1-0 lead with Claude Giroux’s 5-on-3 power-play goal. Matthew Knies tied it for Toronto with a deflected shot on the power play.

Marner disagreed with a reporter when asked if they had a slow start.

"I disagree with you," Marner said. "I thought we had a good start. We knew they'd come hard as they're building, they're down too, and the fans were into it...

"We might not have had many shots, but I thought we weathered the storm well. We took too many penalties in that first, but other than that, I thought we weathered the storm well," he added.

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Matthews then gave the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead early in the third, assisted by Marner. Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk tied the game 2-2 with a wrist shot, before Simon Benoit scored the game-winning goal in overtime, giving Toronto their third straight win.

The Maple Leafs now lead the series 3-0 and have a chance to complete the sweep in Game 4 on Saturday.