TORONTO – For a staff in true must-win mode, the Ottawa Senators confirmed no indicators of desperation on Tuesday night time.
They didn’t must. A structured recreation, high quality goaltending and well timed offence helped the Senators to a 4-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Sport 5 to ship the first-round collection again to the nation’s capital.
“We simply performed a extremely good street recreation tonight, high to backside,” stated Ottawa head coach Travis Inexperienced.
Thomas Chabot scored within the second interval and Dylan Cozens added a short-handed objective within the third. Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk added empty-net objectives and Linus Ullmark made 29 saves for the shutout.
After dropping the primary three video games, the Senators took Sport 4 with a 4-3 additional time win at house. Now they’ll return to a rocking Canadian Tire Centre for Sport 6 on Thursday, hoping their house followers can assist carry them to a decider.
“I anticipate pure madness, that’s for positive,” stated Tkachuk. “I imply, they know the way necessary they’re.”
Ottawa did effectively to quiet the early buzz within the sold-out Scotiabank Area. Toronto had a 12-4 edge in pictures within the first interval however the Senators had the higher possibilities.
Associated Movies
Only a couple minutes into the sport, Maple Leafs netminder Anthony Stolarz was left scrambling after a puck hit the within of the put up and rolled close to the goal-line. Defenceman Morgan Rielly dived down close to the crease to assist hold it out.
Get day by day Nationwide information
Get the day’s high information, political, financial, and present affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox as soon as a day.
Chris Tanev made a robust defensive play later within the interval on Ottawa’s Drake Batherson, who had an open web by the facet of the cage however was tied up by the Toronto blueliner.
Chabot was gradual to rise up after taking a Rielly cross-check that despatched him into the boards late within the interval. The blueliner didn’t miss a shift and opened the scoring at 3:46 of the second when his shot from the purpose beat a screened Stolarz.
Ullmark got here by way of when wanted and his teammates have been successful puck battles and driving the play.
“The blokes pulled by way of in the present day with a few enormous defensive performs that saved (the Leafs) out of it,” Ullmark stated.
The guests performed with function from the outset whereas the Maple Leafs appeared considerably handcuffed and out of sync.
“We saved enjoying our recreation,” stated Chabot. “We discovered methods to attain on the proper time and located methods to not give them an entire lot of appears off the frenzy. It was only a nice staff effort general.”
Senators centre Ridly Greig needlessly hauled down Toronto’s Mitch Marner halfway by way of the third interval however it was Ottawa’s penalty killers who got here by way of as Cozens scored on a 2-on-1 short-handed break.
“I believe we stepped up our recreation,” Cozens stated. “I believe each recreation we’re studying. We’re studying extra about how the sport is supposed to be performed within the playoffs.
“We’re simply enhancing every recreation and I believe we got here out able to go tonight.”
Ottawa is making its first post-season look in eight years. The Senators have but to win a Battle of Ontario collection, dropping three straight editions from 2000-02 earlier than falling once more in ’04.
The Senators received all three conferences in opposition to the Maple Leafs within the common season and compelled additional time in three of the primary 4 playoff video games.
“There’s numerous perception in our staff if we are able to play our recreation,” Inexperienced stated.
Solely 4 NHL groups have come again to win a playoff collection from an 0-3 deficit.
Senators ahead Claude Giroux, who performed in his one hundredth profession playoff recreation on Tuesday, was on the 2010 Philadelphia staff that accomplished the uncommon comeback.
The 2014 Los Angeles Kings, 1975 New York Islanders and the 1942 Maple Leafs are the others.
Sport 7, if obligatory, can be performed Saturday night time in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed April 29, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Source link