Series Talk: [A1] Toronto Maple Leafs vs [WC1] Ottawa Senators (TOR Leads 1-0)

[JD1]

The fans care about that.

Most of the players on the team were still shitting their pants the last time Toronto won a series against Ottawa. They couldn't care less.

As opposed to the Toronto players who having been shifting their pants the last 8 years

 

[Fatass]

If Toronto scores early Ottawa may fold and leave the ice .

I don’t think the Sens will fold if scored on early, but I do see them pressing more for offence and showing a lack of maturity in their game. I see the Sens turning picks over in bad situations which lead to high danger rush chances against. Leafs will run away with those games.

 

[Hotsam Batcho]

I don’t think the Sens will fold if scored on early, but I do see them pressing more for offence and showing a lack of maturity in their game. I see the Sens turning picks over in bad situations which lead to high danger rush chances against. Leafs will run away with those games.

Ottawa's Immaturity and lack of experience will be advantageous for the Leafs even with their lack of success in the playoffs.

 

[GKJ]

We know it’s going 7 because the Leafs always have to go 7

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Probably nowhere near as many that know Ottawa has won more playoff series in the Matthews era that Toronto. A lot of people know the Leafs have only won one round in the playoffs in Matthews career and that ottawa won two rounds in 2017

Interesting little historical sidebar. The last time Ottawa won a playoff game, it was their 11th playoff win that year. 11 playoff wins in one year is more than the Leafs have ever won in a single year. Did you know that?

I wonder how many people that post on this site can remember Ottawa playing in the Cup final? I'd be willing to bet that the number of people that post here that actually remember Ottawa playing in the finals outnumbers those that can remember Toronto actually playing in the finals by more than 500 to 1.

Here’s an interesting tidbit for you: Toronto has faced a Vezina goalie in every single playoff round in the Matthews era except one (in another they chased the Vezina goalie). If they are lucky enough to win round one, they will again face a Vezina goalie. Has to be some kind of record? Comparatively McDrai have only twice faced a Vezina goalie.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Sens losing to Leafs would be completely expected, Leafs losing to Sens would be a massive upset. So it's quite natural that Sens would have no pressure.

Sens winning isn’t a massive upset.

 

[Commander Clueless]

I read a few posts.

Here's a couple of quotes in the original post from our man @HockeyVirus

"We have no #1 dman, hell no #2 dman" one thing I'd agree with is Ottawa has the two best D in this series.

"I am nearing my breaking point with this team" yet here he is a month later talking smack. I suspect the reason he's nearing his breaking point is due to repeated failure. Now he's talking about being "under rated"

Whatever. It's going to be a fun two weeks.

The defense thing is certainly relevant to this series. Rielly has regressed a lot, though he looks better since Carlo got here.

I personally don't talk smack because we don't really have a position of playoff strength to talk from and I'm tired of trying to translate regular season success into post season with this team. That said, it wouldn't be much fun if nobody was doing it, would it?

Either way, I agree. It will be fun. Very much looking forward to this.

 

[Fatass]

Sens winning isn’t a massive upset.

The Sens winning this series would absolutely be a big upset. Leafs won their division. A division with Tampa and Florida. They are clearly a big favourite over Ottawa.

 

[TotalHomer]

The Sens winning this series would absolutely be a big upset. Leafs won their division. A division with Tampa and Florida. They are clearly a big favourite over Ottawa.

Yeah but they are the Leafs. First round exit is their specialty.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Let's be real here. You're the guy that started this thread

Thread 'Future of the team is incredibly bleak'

Mar 16, 2025

Let's be real here. We have arguably 2 prospects of any note in Cowan and maybe Danford neither move the needle. We have no draft picks because we traded them all at the TDL. 2 of our 4 core pieces are UFAs and likely to walk for nothing. We have no #1 dman, hell no #2 dman.

We have NO future. The only possible move this offseason is to throw money around in free agency. For any long time fans, we've seen this story before. We will end up paying players like Komaserk, Lombardi, Armstrong, Connolly, Clarkson, etc big money in free agency and be trash but with a cap strapped team.

There is...

• HockeyVirus
• Replies: 561
• Forum: Toronto Maple Leafs

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That thread is about the future. It's on the horizon this team will pay for trying to compete like all teams. Thats in a few years though.

You're young right? I don't want to spoil your breakfast but the big 4 + Morgan have a history of failure. Until they stop failing and actually do something in the playoffs, it's going to be difficult for pundits to call them a cup favourite

You serious Clark?

 

[Silky Johnson]

They just won their division for the first time in 24 years. You don't think it might be a little different this time around?

They had a better record in 21, 22 & 23....

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

The Sens winning this series would absolutely be a big upset. Leafs won their division. A division with Tampa and Florida. They are clearly a big favourite over Ottawa.

No it wouldn’t. What is the in season series at? Any guess why? What is Ottawa’s record since February 1? Do they have a Vezina goalie? Seven game series are too small of a sample size for “on paper” to do what it eventually statistically does. Leafs have the better team but margins aren’t nearly what you imagine.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

I don’t think the Sens will fold if scored on early, but I do see them pressing more for offence and showing a lack of maturity in their game. I see the Sens turning picks over in bad situations which lead to high danger rush chances against. Leafs will run away with those games.

That's a valid point. The Senator's core hasn't really been faced with that adversity in a series format before. How they respond to it will play a massive part in how the series goes.

I think Sens fans can look to the 4 nations cup for some optimism. Tkachuk and Sanderson were arguably the two best american players in that gold medal game or whatever it was. But a single game winner takes all situation is very different from a 7 game series.

 

[RuudeDog]

Well, no one is talking about imploding the entire team if we lose.

So comparatively speaking, no pressure.

I was referring more to the fans than players. But the players feel how much their fans want it. I would agree if they were playing one of the Fla teams. But losing to the Leafs with all the eyes that will be on this series is hardly no pressure on the fanbase or players.

Everyone knows the Leafs are one lost series away from a match. I am just hopeful that Stolarz is capable of bringing a bucket of water.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Around 100 pages before game 1. Hopefully the series will be just as entertaining.

 

[Silky Johnson]

And why haven’t the senators been able to even make the playoffs until this year? What happened last year?

How many of those little mistakes did ottawas ‘big boys’ have to make to shit the bed on an entire season they way they did last year?

Worst ownership and management in the NHL.

You see, we Sens fans understand and readily admit to our organisations problems.

It took Staois and company one offseason to make the Sens into a playoff team. He added depth & experience and made moves fixed some structural problems with the team.

Your teams core shits the bed year after year and they are still here.

I cannot understand the cocky arrogance some of you have here. Maybe it's your year to go on a playoff run, but it ain't going to happen without your core showing up - something that is by no means proven.

Pride comes before the fall.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Well we played the exact same number of games as every other team in the league, and ended up 4th overall. We also had our share of injuries... Matty missed 15 games, Mcabe missed 16, Tavares mcmann and domi 7 each, woll early in the season and we played our 3rd a 4th stringers a few times. Frankly we've looked like crap some nights and still won a boring game... which always seemed to happen against us when we were more run and gun. Guess we'll see what happens but I don't think this team is "seriously behind" anyone in this league when we're rolling...

Both teams had injuries throughout the year. that’s a wash , and not even worth mentioning tbh, since it’s a wash.

 

[Fatass]

No it wouldn’t. What is the in season series at? Any guess why? What is Ottawa’s record since February 1? Do they have a Vezina goalie? Seven game series are too small of a sample size for “on paper” to do what it eventually statistically does. Leafs have the better team but margins aren’t nearly what you imagine.

Sens goalie will need to play at a Vézina level to win even one game. These two clubs are far apart in their ability to play a mature game. Leafs are at their peak. Sens are still learning.

 

[93gilmour93]

Ottawa in four with a huge upset to Toronto.

 

[MCR74]

The fans care about that.

Most of the players on the team were still shitting their pants the last time Toronto won a series against Ottawa. They couldn't care less.

Some still are.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

Sens goalie will need to play at a Vézina level to win even one game. These two clubs are far apart in their ability to play a mature game. Leafs are at their peak. Sens are still learning.

You grossly underestimate house money.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Sens goalie will need to play at a Vézina level to win even one game. These two clubs are far apart in their ability to play a mature game. Leafs are at their peak. Sens are still learning.

That's just it. You can say that about either teams goaltending, but Ullmark is the one with a history of being a sieve in the playoffs. Even if he plays overall well, he is going to do to the Sens what some of our goalies did to us like Samsonov and Campbell... Awful goal at awful times.

 

[SlapJack]

1-If Toronto having a mediocre group behind blueline, sens had an awful one because i'm taking leafs D anytime before sens D... Sens D = is Sanderson... leafs D is much more balanced and much harder to play against

2-Did i missed the time Ulmark had been able to make the difference and won game by his own in playoff... At 31 he never did it of his life, same as Stolarz....

Sens top 4 is better than Toronto, and it's not like Ottawa is top 5 in the league there. Anybody looking at what the Leafs have behind the blue line and stating this is a cup contender is a Leafs fan. Worse still is that even after they crash and burn this year, they're stuck with this aging crew for the next 3+ years that's going to decline the further away from 30 they get.

Ullmark does not have a good track record in the playoffs, but he has the same experience as Toronto - failure. If you think the Leafs can overcome their issues and make THIS YEAR the one they finally break through, well Ullmark could do the same. And he did win 3 games against Florida in 2023. 2 more than Toronto did against Florida that year.

 

[I Hate Philadelphia]

That's just it. You can say that about either teams goaltending, but Ullmark is the one with a history of being a sieve in the playoffs. Even if he plays overall well, he is going to do to the Sens what some of our goalies did to us like Samsonov and Campbell... Awful goal at awful times.

Anthony Stolarz has a 0-0-0 record in 1 game with a goals against average of 5.17 and a save percentage of . 842 in the playoffs in his career.

 

[thusk]

I look at it the other way. Ottawa's D is not known for being nasty and a match up against Toronto where the top offensive players are soft works well for Ottawa.

Maybe the bottom 6 can play hard physical hockey, but the top 6 not being physical enables Ottawa to skate out with the puck and they've got two of the best in the league at it in Chabot and Sanderson

If Ottawa just skating with leafs foward, sens are in trouble. For me where sens can win this series is by entering in leafs mind and create frustration. Playing sherwook against them, bring them in scrum and make them pay for every inches...If they can't, they will lost because leafs are just better everywhere

Better foward group
better D group who much harder to play against. Just by exemple last 10 game after a stretche for Carlo/ rielly to create chemistry together... leafs allowed only 14 goal, it's basically 2X less than Ottawa ( 26).

If toronto have to close the game, wait for their opportunity to win game 1-0, they now having ability to do it