A generation after it began, the Battle of Ontario reignited in Game 1 between the Maple Leafs and Senators. And just as it went back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Leafs got the better of the Senators.
The Leafs’ dominant 6-2 win marked just the third time this Leafs core has won a series opener in 10 tries. And that’s fitting: this team looked quite different from recent iterations come playoff time. They stifled the Senators, whose lack of playoff experience showed up in taking needless penalties.
Of course, there’s plenty of hockey left in this matchup. But if Game 1 is any indication, this has the potential to be a short one.
Here are some takeaways from Game 1.
Hot start for Leafs
For all that the Leafs can be accused of not always starting on time and not bringing their best in the opening game of the playoffs (they’re 2-7 in series openers), they did nearly everything right off the hop. Up and down the lineup, they checked hard. They put their bodies in front of Senators shots. They played with energy and got traffic in front of Linus Ullmark.
And crucially, they made the most of their opportunities, scoring twice on four shots. Oliver Ekman-Larsson didn’t look like a defenceman labouring through any lingering injuries with his series-opening goal.
OLIVER EKMAN-LARSSON OPENS THE SCORING IN THE BATTLE OF ONTARIO!! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/pXdJ3wOJhI
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 20, 2025
And Mitch Marner didn’t look like a player with the weight of the world on his shoulders with his electric breakaway goal.
MITCH MARNER, THAT WAS DISGUSTING! 🤢 #StanleyCup
🇺🇸: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/ybuZDYvoTH
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/jQ6PwU3Z1V
— NHL (@NHL) April 20, 2025
With how heavily favoured the Leafs were coming into this series, it remained a possibility that the internal pressure would lead to some tightened grips on the Leafs’ sticks. That wasn’t the case. The Leafs were all over the Senators from the hop. And they didn’t let up, either.
Sens fail to impose in high-danger areas
The Senators were rendered mostly ineffective in high-danger areas. The Sens outshot the Leafs 13-5 in the first period, but only mustered one high-danger chance, according to Natural Stat Trick. Ottawa ended the game with 11, but it still wasn’t a strong suit for the visitors.
The Leafs’ defence kept them along the perimeter and wouldn’t let them trouble Anthony Stolarz until Drake Batherson scored his team’s first goal of the game with just under four minutes remaining in the first. After that, the Sens continued to struggle with penetrating the middle of the ice.
Brady Tkachuk is considered an X-factor in this series because of his ability to create havoc in the corners and in front of the net. Through the opening 20 minutes, Tkachuk had three shots on net — two from the blue line and one from the face-off circle. That’s not sufficient for a Senators team that has struggled with generating goals from up close. They ended the regular season with the 25th-best high-danger goals for rate.
Leafs special teams doom Senators
Total Maple Leafs power play goals through seven playoff games last year: one. Total Leafs power play goals through two periods against the Senators in Game 1: two.
For all the concern about how the Senators might draw plenty of penalties, they ended up spending an unnecessarily large amount of time in the box. And the Leafs made them pay. Their puck movement with the man advantage was especially creative and swift. When they needed to be, the Leafs looked patient with the puck on the power play. John Tavares and William Nylander each converted with their first goals of the series.
The Senators ended the regular season with the 19th-best penalty kill and needed to be disciplined entering the series against a potent power play. A Tim Stützle second-period infraction kickstarted a flurry of minor penalties, including a Ridly Greig cross-check that was downgraded from five minutes to two.
Fans can debate the validity of those penalties all day, and they may have a point. But the Sens clearly weren’t prepared for the Leafs’ quick strikes. A third-period power-play goal by Matthew Knies was the final nail in the coffin.
Since Jan. 1, only the Vegas Golden Knights have had a better power play than the Leafs. Game 1 was a continuation of that effectiveness, highlighted by the aforementioned Knies goal and how quickly it came.
Remember, this is a Leafs team that has struggled on the power play in the playoffs. It’s literally been the difference between a series win and loss for this core at times. But against the Senators, the Leafs’ punchy power play could be a sign of good things to come.
Stolarz tops Ullmark in Game 1
If the Senators want a chance at upsetting the Leafs in the first round, Linus Ullmark will have to be the best goaltender in this series and erase any doubts stemming from previous playoff performances. Sunday’s series opener proved to be one to forget.
Ullmark allowed six goals on 24 shots in the loss. The Senators’ defence and penalty killing played a role in those goals, but Ullmark failed to come up big in contrast to Toronto’s Anthony Stolarz. This game will only add to a shaky postseason record for the Sens’ No. 1 netminder. Ullmark is now 3-7 all-time in playoff games dating back to his playoff debut three years ago with the Boston Bruins, with a save percentage below .900.
He has bounced back from regular-season struggles before. But the Senators need him to snap back to form immediately. Relying on Anton Forsberg or Leevi Merilainen would be rolls of the dice at this stage of the season.
Stolarz, by comparison, looked like the goalie who finished the regular season with a remarkable .926 save percentage. Though he bobbled a few shots from distance with his glove, Stolarz still moved well and commanded his net. He stopped 31 shots. That kind of composure could end up being another difference, not just between the Leafs and the Senators but between this Leafs team and past iterations.
Winning the goaltending battle isn’t something the Leafs do often in playoff series. So far, so good this time around.
Tkachuk’s playoff debut disappoints
Tkachuk has waited a long time to play under the playoff spotlight. But those who’ve anticipated his playoff debut were left wanting more.
The forward got shots on net and played physically at times, but didn’t pop off at the level we expected him to be at. Tim Stützle outhit Tkachuk, even delivering the first big hit of the game.
Tkachuk had a prime opportunity to quiet the crowd with a breakaway opportunity in the second — as fans rained down chants of “Brady sucks!” throughout the contest — but couldn’t convert. It would’ve tied the game at two, but the Leafs eventually pulled away thanks to their special teams.
One big thing Brady has said learned watching his brother Matthew in the playoffs was the importance of moving on from one game to the next. He’ll look to wash away a losing Game 1 effort.
While we’re looking at the stars of the series: One box the Leafs don’t always check, but did in Game 1? Their stars showed up. Getting multi-point nights from Marner, Tavares and Nylander is exactly what the Leafs need.
Auston Matthews’ excellent outlet pass from deep in his own zone on Marner’s goal deserves some love, too. Add it up and the Leafs have the offensive weapons the Senators don’t. Even if you make the argument that the two teams’ blue lines are similarly matched (though that felt up for debate in Game 1), there’s little doubt who has the star power. That star power has sometimes failed to rise to the moment for the Leafs. But Rielly’s goal was the icing on the cake. The Senators had no answer for the Leafs’ stars on Sunday.
(Photo of Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews: Claus Andersen / Getty Images)
