Can the Senators Stave off Elimination in Game Four Against the Maple Leafs?
The Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the first teams to secure a playoff spot during this season, have not shown a reputation of playoff success within the last 20 years, but this season seems to be a turning point for the franchise. The Maple Leafs are currently in a first-round playoff series with the Ottawa Senators, and Toronto has won three games in this series as opposed to Ottawa’s zero wins in this series. The Toronto Maple Leafs look to close this series off and secure a sweep in this series against Ottawa. Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators are looking to avoid a sweep and satisfy their home crowd with a playoff win.
On April 26th, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators will face off in Ottawa for their fourth game in their seven-game first-round playoff series. Ottawa has not won a playoff game or playoff series since their 2016-17 season, which was also the last season they went to the playoffs. Toronto has won one playoff series in the last 20 years. The one playoff series the Maple Leafs won in that period was in 2023 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Standout players for the Maple Leafs so far in this series include Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Simon Benoit. Standout players for the Ottawa Senators include Claude Giroux. The winner of this playoff series will face the winner of the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers series. Florida currently leads the series 2-0. Not only does this game and this series matter in the playoffs, but also their intense rivalry. The Maple Leafs and the Senators have an intense rivalry called the Battle of Ontario. From the five playoff series involving these two teams, the Maple Leafs have won all of them. However, in the regular season, the Ottawa Senators are 76–55–3–13. This current playoff series, however, is the first in the Battle of Ontario since 2004.
Despite Toronto’s success so far in this series, it is entirely possible for Ottawa to take home Game Four. Examining the three previous games, two of them were in Toronto, and two of them were overtime wins. As this game is in Ottawa, it is entirely possible for the Senators to win. The previous game in Ottawa was a Toronto win in overtime. That being said, there is a lot on the line during tomorrow night’s matchup, regardless of the result.
