Ridly Greig of the Ottawa Senators battles for the puck against Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period in Game 2 of the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on April 22, 2025 in Toronto.Claus Andersen/Getty Images
The Ottawa Senators nearly pulled a rabbit out of a hat last night before falling in overtime 3-2 to the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first period they clawed their back to a 2-2 tie in the third on a goal by Adam Gaudette. Toronto won a goal by Max Domi 3 minutes and 9 seconds into extra time.
The Maple Leafs now lead first round playoff series 2-0, with Games 3 and 4 at Canadien Tire Centre on Thursday and Saturday.
After a lopsided 6-2 loss in Sunday’s opener the Senators started badly again. They had been outscored 8-2 before they turned things around in the second period.
“I think this game will give us confidence,” Brady Tkachuk, the Ottawa captain, said. He scored a goal on a power play in the second to cut Toronto’s lead to 2-1. “You get to overtime and anything can happen.
“We try to make it hard to play against and I think we did that. There is not one ounce of panic in this locker room. We have been resilient all year.”
The Senators went on a sizable run after the 4 Nations Face-Off to earn the first wildcard in the Eastern Conference. They beat the Maple Leafs, who won the NHL’s Atlantic Division, all three times that they met in the regular season.
Now they are in an 0-2 hole in a best-of-seven series.
“It sucks to lose in overtime but there are still positives we can take from it,” Thomas Chabot, the Ottawa defenceman, said. “We didn’t give up and we played our game.
“It stings right now but this is playoff hockey and now we go home and move on.”
Both teams played with an edge in the tight contest. Ottawa had an advantage in shots, 28-21, and hits, 44-25. Toronto led in blocked shots, 32-6. There were no fights after a penalty-riddled third period on Sunday.
“We played real well,” said Adam Gaudette, a forward for the Senators. He played for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League and briefly with the Maple Leafs. “There is a lot of hockey left. I am excited to get back in front of our fans.”