OTTAWA — The latest Battle of Ontario is in a familiar spot, with the Ottawa Senators teetering on the brink of elimination.
In the first playoff game in Ottawa since 2017, a raucous crowd couldn’t push the Senators to their first win of the series. Instead, the Maple Leafs kept their head above water through a testy first two periods and then in overtime, when Simon Benoit emerged as the unlikely hero with a slap shot from the point as the game winner.
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Benoit‘s goal gave the Leafs their second consecutive 3-2 overtime win and a 3-0 series lead.
The Leafs did as they’ve done all series, keeping the Senators to the outside. And they got contributions they needed from their best players, which made the difference.
The Senators faithful deserve full marks for showing up and getting loud amid fears the Canadian Tire Centre would be taken over by Leafs fans. Yet with the results in the series now being as one-sided as they are, it certainly feels like those same Senators fans might get just one more home game this series.
Here are some takeaways.
Benoit the unlikely hero
As regulation ended, Simon Benoit did as he’s done all season, putting his body on the line and block two shots close to goal. Both shots looked to leave the Leafs defenceman hobbled.
SIMON BENOIT! OVERTIME WINNER! 🚨
THE LEAFS ARE UP 3-0! pic.twitter.com/fCxQ7iSlBS
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 25, 2025
Turns out, he was just fine. He seemed to use the evident adrenaline rush to score his first career playoff goal with a powerful seeing-eye point shot just 1:19 into overtime.
This was the definition of how Leafs coach Craig Berube envisions his offence: simple and direct. Benoit could have moved the puck around looking for a forward but instead threw the puck at the net. Good things seem to happen for the Leafs this series when they do that.
‘Brady, Brady, Brady’
Brady Tkachuk’s health is under the spotlight yet again. He left momentarily in the second period before returning in time for his team’s power play. But he didn’t look himself at times. He laboured and looked in pain every time he went to the bench, but tried to play through it.
Then, as life seemed drain from the Canadian Tire Centre after a go-ahead goal from Auston Matthews early in the third period, he wired a shot past Anthony Stolarz for his second goal of the series. It’s a goal he’ll remember for a long time, playing in the postseason games he’s dreamed of being in since childhood. And those ‘Brady’ chants returned.
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Tkachuk’s health has been a key topic of conversation since the 4 Nations break.
A lower-body injury suffered against Team Sweden while playing with Team USA had him not feeling great when he returned to his team, causing him to miss time. Then, a hip tweak saw him miss the end of a regular season game in March, only for him to favour it in a game against the New Jersey Devils days later. Then, an upper-body injury suffered against the Pittsburgh Penguins caused him to miss a handful of games before returning for his team’s regular season finale against Carolina.
When asked in the playoffs about his health, he’s insisted there have been no issues.
Leafs power play keeps firing
The days of the Leafs converting on just 5 percent of their postseason power plays as they did in 2024 – or just 13 and 14 percent in 2021 and 2022 – feel like the distant past. Matthew Knies’ second period power-play goal the series was the Leafs’ fifth. And it came in just their ninth opportunity of the series. So far, the Leafs’ white-hot power play has been one of, if not the difference through three games.
Interestingly, the Leafs once again converted quickly after the power play began.
Now, will they continue to get opportunities in Ottawa? It certainly felt like there were a number of soft calls that went against the Leafs. The Senators, of course, are masters at drawing penalties. They’ve led the league in each of the last three regular seasons at generating power play opportunities. The Leafs seem to understand that when they get opportunities – rare as they might be – it’s important to make the most of them.
(Photo: Richard A. Whittaker / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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