It was a valiant comeback effort by the Ottawa Senators, but in the end, losing the first three games of their first round playoff series was just too much to overcome.
The Senators’ 2024-25 season came to an end in Game 6 on Thursday night with a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. William Nylander led the way for Toronto with two goals and an assist. Max Pacioretty, who was moved up to the second line tonight, had two points, including the winning goal with 5:39 to play. Brady Tkachuk and David Perron scored for the Sens, who were dead even in shots with Toronto at 23 apiece.
The opening period was one of the most wide-open we’ve seen in the series. Both teams had some excellent chances, but the scoring dam refused to break until Brady Tkachuk’s interference penalty in the neutral zone with just over two minutes left in the period. The hit was slightly late, but it’s the kind of hit that officials frequently overlook, especially in games as important as this one.
After going cold for two games, Toronto then finally capitalized with the extra man. From the left point, Auston Matthews directed a puck at the net with the approximate speed of a firm pass. It made its way through traffic, and just as a screened Linus Ullmark came off the post in search of a view of the puck, the puck slid past his skate, just inside the post.
It was reminiscent of an intermission contest where a fan successfully shoots a puck through a tiny slot in a board covering the net.
That gave the Leafs some momentum heading into the intermission, and they built on their lead in the first minute of the second period. Pacioretty knocked the puck away from Nick Jensen at the Ottawa blue line and it ended up on the stick of Nylander. Thomas Chabot, who backed up way too far, allowed Nylander all the time he needed to pick his spot under Ullmark’s blocker.
Less than seven minutes later, both Chabot and Tkachuk made amends, teaming up for Ottawa’s first goal of the game. Chabot’s knee-high wrist shot from the left point was handled masterfully by Tkachuk, who tipped it over Anthony Stolarz’s right shoulder to cut the lead in half.
The Senators came out strong in the third period. Tim Stutzle had an early chance, deflecting one off the goal post, and he created several great opportunities for himself throughout the period. However, he couldn’t capitalize.
But Canadian Tire Centre erupted when veteran David Perron scored from down below the goal line, banking the puck in off of Stolarz’s back to tie the game at 2.
The celebration was short-lived.
Less than two minutes later, with everyone thinking about yet another overtime, Toronto’s Max Domi outworked Ottawa’s defense behind the Senators’ net and found Pacioretty alone in the high slot. Pacioretty then beat Ullmark to restore Toronto’s lead with less than six minutes to go.
Nylander then put the game away with an empty netter to seal the deal, ending Ottawa’s season.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Perron said. “(The loss) is tough to think about too much right now. You can always look at plays, but I’m proud of the guys and how much they grew this year. And even from game to game, it felt like we really had a chance to kind of push this to 7 and that’s tough.”
The fans shared Perron’s emotions. During the player handshakes, the building was still fairly full, with fans applauding the effort. Not only did the Senators get back to the playoffs for the first time in eight years, the future appears to be extremely bright, o and off the ice.
Some of the fans began chanting Brady Tkachuk’s name. Despite dealing with a nagging injury, big number 7 led the Sens with 7 points in 6 games, and after the game, the captain was highly emotional when asked about the loss.
“I mean, it’s devastating, Tkachuk said, his voice barely a whisper. “I really believed… It’s just a tough pill to swallow right now.”
Tkachuk said he was proud of the team, even the guys who don’t lace ’em up every night.
“I’m really proud of every single guy in this room. Everybody who wasn’t playing – staff, trainers, everybody. Everybody in this organization. I mean, I think it takes will, it takes guts.
“We didn’t get the job done, but I think we’re going to take these lessons and be that much better because of it. I know it’s tough to realize right now, but everything happens for a reason, and I’ll be better because of it.”
As for Toronto, they win the first Battle of Ontario in 21 years, improving their playoff record against Ottawa to 5-0. The Leafs will have their hands full, facing the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who just mowed down the Tampa Bay Lightning in round one.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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