OTTAWA – The Maple Leafs are one victory away from one other Battle of Ontario triumph — and a visit to the second spherical of the NHL playoffs.
Simon Benoit scored at 1:19 of extra time as Toronto topped the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Thursday to take a commanding 3-0 lead within the groups’ first-round sequence.
Benoit blasted a shot via site visitors off an offensive zone draw earlier than being mobbed by his teammates spilling off the bench.
Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies had the opposite targets for the Leafs. Anthony Stolarz made 18 saves.
Claude Giroux, with a aim and an help, and Brady Tkachuk replied for the Senators. Linus Ullmark made 17 stops.
The Leafs took Recreation 1 by a 6-2 scoreline in Toronto earlier than a 3-2 extra time victory two nights later after blowing an early two-goal lead.
The Senators, who performed their first house playoff recreation for the reason that 2017 Japanese Convention ultimate following a glacial rebuild, host Recreation 4 on Saturday seeking to stave off elimination.
Associated Movies
Largely quiet via two contests and 40 minutes, Matthews buried his first aim of the sequence on the third interval’s recent ice off a slick, one-touch Mitch Marner feed with Ullmark trying the fallacious manner.
Get day by day Nationwide information
Get the day’s prime information, political, financial, and present affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox as soon as a day.
The Leafs didn’t give the Senators a lot room because the clock ticked down till Tkachuk took a move from Giroux off the push and ripped his second previous Stolarz’s blocker with 8:38 left in regulation.
Giroux opened the scoring on a two-man benefit at 1:38 of the second when he fired a shot via a Tkachuk display screen for the Senators’ first lead of the sequence inside a raucous Canadian Tire Centre.
Dylan Cozens had an opportunity to make it 2-0 for the house facet on a breakaway later within the interval earlier than David Perron missed an open internet from the slot.
Toronto went to the facility play later within the interval and equalized when Knies’ centring move went off the skate of Senators ahead Shane Pinto and dribbled previous Ullmark.
Ottawa acquired one other man benefit late within the interval, however couldn’t get something going earlier than the gamers headed to the locker rooms for the intermission.
Stolarz held the fort early with the Senators decidedly on the entrance foot, together with on a terrific Tim Stutzle likelihood from the slot earlier than the Leafs lastly began to push again. Toronto’s finest likelihood of the primary got here off the stick of William Nylander, who blasted a slapshot on a breakaway that Ullmark smothered.
LONG WAIT
Leafs winger Max Pacioretty suited up for the primary time in 75 days. The 36-year-old final performed Feb. 8 earlier than getting shut down with an undisclosed harm. Pacioretty took the spot of Nick Robertson.
BEEN A MINUTE
Senators followers waited 2,891 days between house playoff video games. The final post-season date within the nation’s capital got here on Might 23, 2017, when Ottawa beat Pittsburgh 2-1 to power Recreation 7 within the East ultimate. Pittsburgh took that one in double extra time earlier than profitable its second straight Stanley Cup.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed on April 24, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Source link