Senators keep the Battle of Ontario
alive with 4-0 win over Maple Leafs, who have a 3-2 series lead
[April 30, 2025]
TORONTO (AP) — Linus Ullmark made 29 saves for the first
playoff shutout of his career as the Ottawa Senators edged the
Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 on Tuesday night to cut the deficit in the
teams’ first-round series to 3-2.
Thomas Chabot and Dylan Cozens gave the Senators a 2-0 lead before
Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk added empty-net goals for Ottawa,
which once again staved off elimination after picking up a 4-3
overtime victory in Game 4 at home Saturday. Tkachuk and Stutzle
added two assists each for three-point performances.
Anthony Stolarz stopped 15 shots for the Leafs.
Only four NHL teams have come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a
series — the 1942 Leafs, 1975 Islanders, the 2010 Flyers and the
2014 Kings.
“Our will to win was high and I think it paid off,” said Tkachuk.
“It’s all about now resetting and getting refocused.”
Game 6 is Thursday in Ottawa.
Toronto, which beat Ottawa four times in a five-playoff span in the
early 2000s, dropped to 1-13 in potential series-clinching games in
the Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner era dating back to the 2018
playoffs. That lone victory came in a first-round triumph over the
Tampa Bay Lightning two years ago.
“Everybody’s fine in here,” Matthews said. “The playoffs, it’s a
roller-coaster. It could be ups and downs. It’s about staying as
even-keeled as you possibly can and making adjustments when you need
to.”
The Leafs, who took the opener of this series against its provincial
rival 6-2 before back-to-back 3-2 overtime victories pushed them to
a 3-0 lead, will need to do just that after the Senators once again
won the special teams battle in a tight-checking affair.
“I’m not feeling anything,” Toronto coach Craig Berube, in his first
season with the club, said when asked if he’s getting nervy vibes
from a core that has stumbled badly in previous playoffs. “Our group
was focused and ready to go.”
The Senators, meanwhile, picked up their first playoff victory since
2017 in Saturday’s extra-time decision that kept their season going
before again doing their best to plant a seed of doubt in the
Atlantic Division winners’ star-studded roster.
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Ottawa Senators' Dylan Cozens (24) celebrates his short handed goal
with teammate Adam Gaudette (81) during third period NHL playoff
action in Toronto on Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The
Canadian Press via AP)
“It can change fast,” Ottawa coach Travis Green
said of postseason momentum. “You can feel great about yourself, you
can feel (crappy) about yourself or your team or where you’re at.
Those are the types of things that we’ve really talked to our team
(about) throughout the season.
“I think it’s paying dividends now.”
Ottawa opened the scoring at 3:46 of Tuesday’s second period on a
Chabot point shot that found its way past Stolarz through traffic
following an offensive zone faceoff win for the defenseman’s
first-ever playoff goal.
Toronto — with plenty of post-season baggage, including a blown 3-1
series lead in the 2021 playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens —
looked disjointed as the period wore on before the home side finally
started to push inside a tense Scotiabank Arena.
The Leafs got a power play in the third period when Ridly Greig
needlessly tackled Marner along the boards.
The Senators, however, broke the other way and Cozens scored his
first at 8:24 when he took a pass from Adam Gaudette on a 2-on-1 and
fired past Stolarz as Ottawa scored short-handed for the second time
in as many games against a five-forward man advantage.
Matthews, who hit the post in OT on Saturday with the series on his
stick, found iron again with five minutes to go in regulation before
Stutzle sealed it into the empty net with 2:51 to play.
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