Senators’ first playoffs in 8 years feel over before they really began: ‘It’s disheartening’

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OTTAWA — Ottawa Senators fans had waited 2,893 days in between home playoff games for their moment — and the right to wave white rally towels in a home playoff game, as Senators fans overwhelmed the small pockets of Leafs fans through the Canadian Tire Centre. A win would’ve turned the tide in their favour. But it was those in blue who remained in the CTC’s lower bowl, chanting support for their team as the Sens and their fans were left disappointed.

Twice the Senators have done the work to force overtime in a series against their bitter rival with momentum on their side. Twice the Senators were beaten by a surprise goal from an unlikely source.

The Senators’ result in Game 2 still left them confident in their chances against the Toronto Maple Leafs. But Game 3 might be the backbreaker.

“One shot away again,” forward Claude Giroux said. “It’s definitely very frustrating.”

Giroux and Brady Tkachuk could only do so much. Both men scored and forced overtime, only for Simon Benoit to channel the spirit of Cory Cross before him to put the Senators on the verge of being swept.

Instead of the Senators swaying momentum in their favour, they were left shell-shocked.

“Back-to-back games, it’s a one-shot game,” Tkachuk said after the Senators lost 3-2 in overtime, their second consecutive overtime loss in the series.

“It’s going to sting for tonight,” goalie Linus Ullmark said after making 17 saves in the loss.

Senators head coach Travis Green addressed his players after Game 2, knowing there were lessons to be learned in their first overtime loss and that they still had games at home to play. He did his best to keep the faith, but he’s aware of the opportunity lost.

“There’s not much I’m going to say to them right now that’s going to help or make them feel any better,” Green said. “It’s disheartening, to say the least. I thought both teams played a hell of a game. Sometimes playoff hockey comes down to little inches or bounces. We were on the wrong end of it tonight.”

The stage was set for the Senators in Game 3, thanks in part to the many Sens fans who provided a raucous atmosphere and filled their building despite the threat of Leafs fans taking over. Fans waved rally towels and lost their minds at anthem singer Lyndon Slewidge, his loudest crowd in years. If Sens fans weren’t chanting “Brady” in support of their captain, “Matthews (is) balding” rained down constantly. Even Maple Leafs fans got a chuckle out of it.

“It was unbelievable,” Tkachuk said. “It was probably the coolest atmosphere I’ve ever played in. Honestly, I can’t really describe it. Because I came out there and had immediate goosebumps, chills. It was special. It really was special. That’s what makes this city so special, it’s the support.”

As for the Senators? They were playing some of their best hockey of this series. They once again looked better at five-on-five, though it can only matter so much when you’re down 3-0 in a series. Ottawa also led the high-danger battle from start to finish and came out on top in scoring chances according to Natural Stat Trick. Giroux’s power-play goal in the first period gave them their first lead of the series.

Toronto took a 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews, sapping the energy from the CTC. But a labouring Tkachuk, who could only say he was playing through “bumps and bruises,” wired a shot past Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz and sending the crowd to their feet.

“I liked a lot — we were ready to play,” Green said. “I liked our start. I thought Toronto pushed like a good team does. I thought we hung in there. It was a pretty even game.”

Of course, the Sens weren’t perfect. It felt like they had to be to win. Knies’s goal had an unlucky bounce or two before it trickled past Ullmark in front of the net for Toronto’s fifth power-play goal of the series. Meanwhile, Matthews took advantage of Ullmark looking away whilst unmarked before he scored his first goal of the series.

The Leafs dominated the Sens in the faceoff circle with a 62.7 percent win rate. Those faceoffs have doomed the Sens while on the penalty kill throughout this series, resulting in quick strikes with the man advantage. Sure enough, Matthews won the offensive zone faceoff before Benoit fired the puck after it bounced off the near-side wall.

There was a near-pregnant pause at the CTC as everyone processed the goal beating Ullmark, his vision obscured by the traffic in front of him.

“I didn’t see anything,” Ullmark said.

“That shot had eyes,” Giroux said.

SIMON BENOIT! OVERTIME WINNER! 🚨

THE LEAFS ARE UP 3-0! pic.twitter.com/fCxQ7iSlBS

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) April 25, 2025

So, where does this leave the Senators?

A young team that will appreciate their first toe dip in playoff experience when they look back at these games in a couple of weeks, no matter how long this adventure lasts. But as long as they haven’t been eliminated yet, they will fight.

Tkachuk referenced a recent documentary he had seen about a comeback sports fans have heard ad nauseam: the 2004 Boston Red Sox overcoming a 3-0 series deficit against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series en route to a World Series title, their first in 86 years. It has happened four times before in the NHL, most recently in 2014 when the Los Angeles Kings erased a 3-0 series deficit in the opening round against the San Jose Sharks.

“It’s been done before,” Tkachuk said. “I have the belief it can happen again.”

That belief is what the Senators have to bank on to give themselves any hope of coming back from three games down. If you think about it, this year’s Senators had nothing to lose anyway — though there’s not much solace that can be taken in a potential loss to your archrival.

The hard truth is that Saturday night could prove to be the Senators’ last stand unless they force a Game 5. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but the journey will be quite difficult for this squad.

“You’ve got to believe in yourself every day,” Ullmark said. “I have full faith in the boys. Never wavered. Never ever crossed my mind that it was going to be a 4-0 series. We’ve said it from the start it’s going to be a long one. It’s going to be a tight one and we’re going to do everything in our power to make it to seven (games) now.”

“No need to pout and think of what could have been,” Giroux said. “We’ve got to move on here and we’ve got to go to Game 4.”

(Photo of Brady Tkachuk: Marc DesRosiers / Imagn Images)

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