Sports can be the ultimate reality show. We tune in each night to watch our favorite teams, and for the drama.

There was plenty of the latter in Boston over the weekend.

On Saturday night, the Bruins rallied to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.

It was one of the most nerve-wracking affairs in recent Bruins history. Fans were on the edge of their seats before David Pastrnak scored the winning goal early in overtime.

It was a storybook finish to Game 7 for Pastrnak, who only a few days earlier was called out by Coach Jim Montgomery.

“We need more from Pasta,” said Montgomery after the club dropped Game 6 in Toronto.

It was a shockingly blunt call to action for the Bruins’ top scorer, who struggled in Games 5 and 6.

It was also a message the forward said he needed to hear.

“If I’m Coach and you were me, I would say the same thing,” Pastrnak told the media after the Game 7 victory. “I had no problem with him saying that. He’s trying to bring the best out of every single player. He expects more.”

He got more when the Bruins needed it the most. Pastrnak began the game-winning play when he bolted up the ice after dishing the puck to defenseman Hampus Lindholm.

Lindholm understood what Pastrnak was doing and delivered a cross-corner dump-in that caromed off the boards and onto Pastrnak’s stick. Pastrnak then tucked a backhand shot into the Toronto net to end the drama.

After the game, Pastrnak acknowledged there was some relief that came with the goal. After all, the Bruins were just a goal away from blowing a 3-1 series lead for a second consecutive postseason.

The Bruins aren’t the only Boston team looking to go deep into the postseason. The Celtics finally return to action Tuesday night when they host the Cavaliers in a second-round series. Boston advanced after beating the Heat in five games.

The Celtics look well-positioned to roll through the East, although they’ll be without center Kristaps Porzingis for a stretch while he heals from a right calf injury. Boston showed it can survive, even thrive, without its big man in the clinching Game 5 victory over Miami on May 1, but things will only get more challenging from here.

Porzingis told the media he is “expecting to recover at a historic rate” but admitted the team will have to be cautious. He missed two weeks with a left calf injury earlier this season. As the playoffs progress, a healthy roster becomes all the more pivotal.

The Celtics have had plenty of time to rest up and prepare for the next round.

It’s a different story for the Bruins, with just one day off before opening a second-round series in Florida against the Panthers on Monday night. The series is a rematch of last year’s first-round matchup, which the Panthers won in seven games. Boston was the top overall seed last season and had set an NHL record with 135 points in the regular season before losing to Florida.

Now, the Panthers are favored after winning the Atlantic Division and finishing one point ahead of the Bruins.

As we well know, anything can happen in the playoffs. It’s why we watch, and there will be plenty to watch this week as the drama resumes.

Tom Caron is a studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN. His column appears in the Portland Press Herald on Tuesdays.

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