Toronto Maple Leafs’ John Tavares turns with the puck as Ottawa Senators’ Thomas Chabot defends in front of goaltender Linus Ullmark during third period NHL playoff action in Ottawa, on April 24.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
The Maple Leafs took a stranglehold in their first-round series on Thursday with a 3-2 victory in overtime over the Senators at Canadian Tire Centre.
Simon Benoit scored on a one-timer just 79 seconds into the extra period, and Auston Matthews had a goal – his first in the series – to go along with an assist on the game-winner.
It was the Maple Leafs’ second straight overtime win and they now hold a 3-0 lead in the best-of seven series, with Game 4 on Saturday again on Ottawa’s home ice. Coming back from down 0-2 is difficult; from 0-3 it scarcely ever happens.
The defeat spoiled the Senators’ first home playoff game since 2017. There were 2,893 days between Game 6 of that year’s Eastern Conference final against Pittsburgh. The Penguins won that series in double-overtime in Game 7.
The city was abuzz with the Battle of Ontario landing on its doorstep for the first time in 21 years. This is the fifth time the teams have met in the post-season and Toronto has won all four previous series.
Fans filled the rink to the brim and were at their full-throated best. Nearly an hour before the puck dropped they chanted “Maple Leafs suck” to a drum beat. Later, a woman wearing a Senators sweater held up a note with some unfriendly suggestions for the visitors. The fans chided Matthews time and again with a refrain of ‘Matthews is balding.’
During the regular season, Maple Leafs fans outnumber the home team’s supporters here. The club took steps to make it more difficult for Toronto fans to get tickets to Game 3 on Thursday and Game 4.
Dale and Lyne Tuepah have been season-ticket holders since 1992 when Ottawa entered the NHL as an expansion team.
Since then years have been lean, but recently, as Dale said, “We’ve seen signs of them getting in.”
“There are still a lot of Maple Leafs fans in this area,” said Lyne. “I don’t like when their fans take over the building. But it’s hard to control.
“I hope it’s not that way tonight.”
Other than the Senators, she roots for, “Anybody but the Leafs.”
Fans did their best but couldn’t push the Senators over the finish line.
The game came as advertised. There were vicious hits and numerous scrums. Neither team scored in a fast-paced first period.
Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark, who had been shaky in goal in the first two contests, stopped two breakaways in the first 20 minutes. At the same time Toronto’s towering netminder, Anthony Stolarz, stood tall.
The Senators got on the scoreboard first when Claude Giroux fired a long wrist shot that got past Stolarz. It was their first lead in the series and it raised the roof.
The Maple Leafs tied it, however, with a power-play goal from in close by Matthew Knies. It was Toronto’s fifth goal with a man advantage in three games.
Toronto finally pulled ahead when Matthews scored only 32 seconds into the third. Fans continued to chant at him, but it didn’t have the same bite after that.
In the end, Senators’ fans went home disappointed. This time they outnumbered the Maple Leafs’ followers, who travel well and usually overwhelm them here.
After losing all three regular-season contests between them, Toronto won the first two playoff games by a combined score of 9-4. They went 4-for-7 on the power play, while Ottawa scored just once in its five chances.
On Tuesday, however, the Senators rallied from a 2-0 deficit with two goals in the third period and forced overtime, before Max Domi’s game-winner.This time it was Benoit, a defenceman who had one goal in the regular season and has never score more than three in five NHL campaigns.
“To be honest I didn’t know how to react,” Benoit said of his winning goal.
Asked if it was the biggest goal of his career, he said, “I’d have to say yes.”
His second biggest?
“That was probably back in peewee,” Benoit said, eliciting laughs.
Toronto coach Craig Berube said Benoit has made great strides.
“It is always great when a guy like that scores a big goal, an overtime winner,” Berube said. “I am very happy for him.”
Travis Green, the Ottawa coach, spoke quietly afterwards when he addressed the media.
He didn’t have any words of wisdom for his team.
“There is nothing much I can say to them that is going to help,” he said. “It is disheartening. They played a hell of a game.
“Whether you are up three games or down three, the next one is the most important. One thing I know about our team is that we are not going to lay down.
“We’ll be ready to play on Saturday.”
The road gets no more difficult than trailing 0-3 in a Game 4, which the Senators get to trek down on Saturday.