TORONTO — Did you really think this series was going to be as easy as it appeared in the first two games at the Garden?

The Maple Leafs captured 105 points during the regular season and were a dominant team at Air Canada Centre. And Monday night they used some of that home cooking to beat the Bruins 4-2 and get back into this first-round series, which the Bruins lead 2-1.

The return home rejuvenated the Maple Leafs Monday night as Patrick Marleau scored two times in a 4-2 win over the Bruins. The Bruins lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 Thursday night in Toronto. Associated Press/Frank Gunn, The Canadian Press

Auston Matthews got going and scored the winner late in the second period and the Bruins’ top line, so explosive in the first two games, was held scoreless. The Patrice Bergeron-Brad Marchand-David Pastrnak group was a minus-7.

But they were also a few inches away from having a pretty good night, too, especially for Pastrnak. He hit a post and was robbed twice by Frederik Andersen, once on a power play early in the third period (that would have tied the game), and then was a victim of a highlight reel stick save with Tuukka Rask pulled in the final two minutes.

Everything bounced the Bruins’ way at the Garden. Not so much here.

“You see that happens in your life as well,” said Pastrnak. “One day, you have a great day. The next morning you wake up and have an absolutely (expletive) day. It happens. But just like I forgot about those two games (in Boston), I’ll forget about this and get better for the next game.”

The Leafs got their first break, then their first lead of the series late in the first period, cashing in on a power play that never should have happened. Riley Nash banged a puck off the glass and it shot into the stands. Somehow the four officials didn’t see it hit the glass and, after a conference, referee Brad Meier waved Nash to the box.

Just seconds later, James van Riemsdyk scored on a rebound from the top of the crease, and the Bruins were on the chase for the night.

Coach Bruce Cassidy stressed that the erroneous call did not cost his team the game, but it was frustrating nonetheless.

“They get together and I assume they want to make the right call,” said Cassidy. “That’s the idea, we understand that. But to me, they all got together and clearly they guessed, because it hit the glass and we see that. Clearly they guessed. I think you’re innocent until proven guilty. I don’t think you can guess and give someone a power play.”

The Bruins tied it up on an Adam McQuaid point shot that Andersen would have liked back early in the second period, but the Leafs answered right away with a stretch pass from Morgan Rielly that went through the skates of Kevan Miller (he and partner Torey Krug were each minus-3) to Mitch Marner for a two-on-one. He fed Patrick Marleau for his first of his two goals.

Zdeno Chara got the Bruins even again at 6:19 of the second when he banked a shot off Andersen’s mask, but the Bruins could not get to the second intermission with a tie score.

At 14:47, the Leafs’ top line finally got the better of the Bruins’ best unit. With the last change in his favor, Toronto Coach Mike Babcock tried to keep the Matthews’ line away from the Bergeron line, utilizing the Tomas Plekanec unit. In this instance, the two top groups got on the ice together. Thanks to a couple of failed clearing attempts by Pastrnak and Bergeron, the Leafs stayed on the attack until Matthews beat Rask with a high short side shot for the Leafs’ third lead of the game.

“We’ll look at it again. There’s always something you can do better when they score,” said Bergeron. “We had some good chances. You’d like to have more obviously. They were tight on us and we have to battle through and be better and find a way to create a little more. That being said, we had our looks and good chances that we usually find a way on, but we have to bear down a little more.”

Andersen was at his best during the Bruins’ only power play early in the third when they threw everything at him, but he, and a couple of posts, kept the puck out. The Bruins never pulled even and with time winding down, David Krejci turned the puck over to Plekanec inside the Toronto blue line and the Leafs went on a two-on-one. Marleau ripped in his second goal with 3:35 remaining to give the Leafs’ some insurance.

Now Toronto has some life. The win not only guarantees the Leafs a trip back to Boston for Game 5, they will get suspended second line center Nazem Kadri back for at least that game.

The Bruins knew this wasn’t a cakewalk, even if a few fans back home might have been thinking it would be.

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