TORONTO – Max Domi was kicking across the Maple Leafs’ locker room when the Battle of Ontario was at its peak.
The son of former powerful man Tie Domi was a teenager scuffing flooring together with his mini sticks when Toronto bounced the Ottawa Senators from the playoffs 4 instances in 5 years greater than twenty years in the past.
The winger now has a memorable second of his personal within the provincial rivalry.
Domi scored at 3:09 of additional time Tuesday because the Leafs survived a blown 2-0 result in get previous the Ottawa Senators 3-2 and go up 2-0 of their first-round sequence.
“Massive win,” stated the 30-year-old. “The boys caught with it, made some performs that we needed to make on the proper time.”
Domi took a go from defenceman Simon Benoit off the frenzy, lower to the center and ripped his first purpose of the post-season upstairs previous Linus Ullmark for the winner.
“Unreal,” Leafs centre John Tavares stated. “Nice for him, nice for our group.”
The Leafs, who took Sunday’s opener 6-2, maintain a 2-0 lead in a post-season sequence for the primary time since 2002. Tavares, with a purpose and an help, and Morgan Rielly offered the remainder of the offence for Toronto, which received 26 saves from Anthony Stolarz.
“Simply pure jubilation,” the goaltender stated of Domi’s winner that set off wild celebrations inside and out of doors Scotiabank Area. “He’s a hell of a teammate within the room, and to see somebody like that get rewarded, hopefully it’s the beginning of one thing massive.”
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Brady Tkachuk and Adam Gaudette replied for Ottawa, which is within the playoffs for the primary time in eight years following an extended rebuild. Ullmark stopped 18 pictures.
The very best-of-seven showdown now shifts to the nation’s capital for Video games 3 and 4 starting Thursday on the Canadian Tire Centre.
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“We’re wanting ahead to getting dwelling,” Tkachuk stated. “And truthfully, there’s not one ounce of panic.”
Domi joined Toronto on a one-year deal forward of the 2023-24 marketing campaign earlier than re-signing for 4 extra seasons.
The veteran ahead moved up and down the lineup in a roller-coaster 2024-25 marketing campaign that noticed him put up simply 33 factors throughout 74 contests, however confirmed Tuesday — as he did in final spring’s seven-game opening-round loss to the Boston Bruins — why he has the group’s belief in necessary moments.
“For any participant, there’s ups and downs,” Rielly stated. “It’s only a actual privilege whenever you play with guys like him. That’s why the game’s particular. You get to enter battle collectively and also you be taught quite a bit about each other.
“For him to have that second in additional time right here at house is extraordinarily particular for all of us. I can’t think about how he’s feeling, however it’s an enormous second for our group, an enormous second on this sequence.”
Toronto is 10-0 all-time in sequence when going up 2-0 at dwelling, and has a two-game playoff edge for simply the second time in 10 tries within the Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner period.
The Leafs went up 1-0 at 3:43 of Tuesday’s first interval moments after Marner hit the submit with Ullmark at his mercy when William Nylander’s centring go hit a hard-charging Rielly in entrance for his second purpose of the sequence.
After scoring three quick-strike objectives on the person benefit in Sport 1 in opposition to an inexperienced and undisciplined opponent, Toronto capitalized 18 seconds into its first alternative when Tavares despatched a puck into the crease that deflected in off Ottawa defenceman Nick Jensen at 8:20.
Stolarz decked Senators ahead Ridly Greig, who slid into the netminder late in Sport 1, on the finish of an Ottawa energy play within the second on a sequence that resulted in coincidental minor penalties.
“It will get annoying after some time, proper?” Leafs head coach Craig Berube stated of opponents buzzing a netminder’s crease. “I’ve seen that with goalies earlier than. I actually don’t have an issue with it.”
The guests steadied themselves because the interval wore on, whereas Toronto took its foot off the fuel.
Ottawa lower the deficit in half at 15:41 on one other man benefit when Tkachuk — once more the goal of “Brady Sucks” chants — despatched a go in entrance that hit Leafs blueliner Brandon Carlo’s skate and dribbled throughout the purpose line.
“That’s playoff hockey … the ebbs and flows,” Stolarz stated. “You need to climate the storm.”
Ottawa, which is 0-9 all-time when dropping the primary two video games of a sequence, received its equalizer with 5:13 left in regulation on a Gaudette deflection after Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson turned the puck over to set the stage for Domi’s OT heroics.
“Max has received a terrific historical past right here together with his dad,” Tavares stated. “An excellent second for him.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed April 22, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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