CHICAGO -- Gary Leeman scored the go-ahead goal and set up two others and Steve Thomas scored twice Wedneday night to lift Toronto to a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in the opener of their Stanley Cup playoffs series.
Game 2 of the best-of-five Norris Division semifinal is scheduled for Thursday at Chicago Stadium.
Toronto, which finished fourth in the Norris Division, beat the first-place Blackhawks in six of eight regular-season contests and posted three triumphs and an overtime loss at raucous Chicago Stadium.
Toronto led 2-1 going into the third period but gave up a tying power-play goal at 4:48. With Borje Salming in the penalty box for holding, Darryl Sutter dug the puck out from between four pairs of skates 12 feet in front of Maple Leaf goalie Ken Wregget and whipped in a wrist shot for a goal.
Leeman broke the tie 81 seconds later on a centering pass from Thomas.
Toronto added insurance goals from Walt Poddubny and Thomas to take a 5-2 lead with less than three minutes left. Tom Lysiak scored for Chicago at 18:29 to complete the scoring.
The Blackhawks got in trouble early in the first period when Curt Fraser got hit with a double minor at 1:04 and Steve Ludzik was called for slashing at 2:13 of the first period. After Chicago goalie Bob Sauve came up with three good saves during Toronto's two-man advantage, the Maple Leafs finally scored on a shot from the left side by Thomas at 3:46.
The Maple Leafs circled the puck from Leeman on the right side to Salming out front to Thomas on the left for the shot.
Chicago tied the score 1-1 on a shot by Doug Wilson at 11:49. Toronto goalie Ken Wregget made a poor pass from behind the net out to Fraser, who passed to Wilson at the blueline for the slapshot.
Wendel Clark gave Toronto a 2-1 lead at 17:22 when he stole a bouncing puck from Jack O'Callahan and went 1-on-1 against Sauve.
There was no scoring in the second period and only one power-play opportunity, when Wregget stopped three shots.
The Blackhawks played without left wing Al Secord, who was out with the flu.
