Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 3 Battle of Ontario Playoff Games
It’s been a 16 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators faced off in the Battle of Ontario in the playoffs, but it’s always fun to look back at great rivalries.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have never lost a playoff series to Ottawa, so that’s probably why we’re revisiting this.
It was a simpler time in the early 2000s and a few things were constant. The sun would rise in the morning, set in the evening and we would watch the Leafs beat the Senators in the spring.
It’s not like the Senators had bad teams during this time-frame either. Led by Daniel Alfredsson, the Senators made the playoffs in 11 straight seasons from 1996 to 2007.
If it wasn’t for the Maple Leafs beating them every time they faced each other, they very well could have found themselves in multiple Cup Finals in that early 2000s run.
Both with Swedish-born captains in Mats Sundin and Alfredsson, the one advantage Toronto always had was their goaltending.
Patrick Lalime was the goaltender for three of the four playoff series for Ottawa, with Tom Barrasso making an appearance in the 2000 series. The Leafs had a much more prestigious duo with either Curtis Joseph or Ed Belfour between the pipes.
Part of me wishes that Ottawa rebuilds quickly so we can revisit the Battle of Ontario in the playoffs, but at the same time it’s always nice when the Leafs are successful and the Senators are not.
Let’s look back at the top three playoff games in the Battle of Ontario.
#3. 2000 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals, Game 5 (Leafs Win 2-1 in Overtime)
This series is so nostalgic for me.
First, it’s the announcers. There was no better combination in hockey broadcasting than Bob Cole and Harry Neale, and listening to them make the call for the game-winner was beautiful.
Secondly, the jerseys.
The classic Leafs white jersey with the NHL All-Star game patch and two Leafs logos on the shoulders is magical.
Thirdly, Sergei Berezin!
The overtime goal was the result of everything great that Berezin represented. With open-ice, there was no better player on the Leafs than Berezin. He used his speed in the neutral zone and because he was so shifty, the defender made sure to cover him on a 2-on-1.
With that defender dragging towards him, Berezin found Steve Thomas for a one-timer, where he tapped in the overtime winner past Barrasso.
This game may not be on the top three for everyone but it is for me based on those things I just mentioned.
The Leafs were tied 2-2 in this series and had the advantage of playing Game 5 at home. Winning this game was crucial for their playoff chances because the last thing they wanted to do was go down 3-2 and play Game 6 on the road.
This was the first chapter of the dominance Toronto would have on Ottawa for the next five years.
#2. 2002 Eastern Conference Semi-Final, Game 6 (Leafs Win 4-3)
On the brink of elimination the Toronto Maple Leafs needed to win Game 6 on the road in order to force Game 7 in Toronto.
The Leafs two wins thus far in the series were only one-goal victories, including an over-time thriller, whereas Ottawa had a plus-six goal advantage in five games on the Leafs.
In 2002, the Leafs had already beaten the Senators in back-to-back playoff series, so this was revenge for the Senators. With a game at home to finally beat the Leafs, you know they wanted this win more than anything in the world.
Early into the first period, things were not looking good for Leafs fans.
A young Marian Hossa and Daniel Alfredsson scored within the first five minutes to give Ottawa an early 2-0 lead.
But fortunately for the Leafs, they know a thing or two about beating Ottawa in a playoff game, so they pulled their boots up high and scored two goals themselves to tie the game 2-2 after the first period.
In the second period, Gary Roberts scored for Toronto and Todd White for Ottawa, so we stayed tied heading into the third.
With the game tied and the season on the line, the Leafs made sure they weren’t going to lose to Ottawa in a playoff series for their first time in history.
As he did so many times in his career, Alex Mogilny scored the game-winning goal for the Maple Leafs in the third period, securing the victory for Toronto.
This game will always be remembered because it led to the Toronto Maple Leafs beating their rival once again in Game 7. The finale of this series wasn’t as exciting as Game 6, as the Leafs dominated the Senators 3-0 in the final game, but Game 6 will always be a corner-stone in the Ottawa versus Toronto rivalry, showcasing how the Sens can never beat Toronto.
The Gary Roberts over-time winner in Game 2 may have been more exciting, but this game was more meaningful because even when the Leafs looked dead in the water, they always found a way to come back and defeat their rival.
#1. 2004 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals, Game 7 (Leafs Win 4-1)
Do you ever watch Marvel movies, or superhero movies in general?
The good guy always wins, right?
Well that same logic can be applied to the Toronto Maple Leafs against Ottawa.
2004 was the fourth playoff series between the Leafs and Senators in five seasons. Despite coming close to defeat, the Leafs had yet to lose a playoff series to Ottawa and they weren’t looking to do it anytime soon.
Although we didn’t know it at the time, 2004 marked the end to a lot of things.
First, the NHL would lockout next season and introduce the NHL salary cap for the first time when they returned.
Secondly, in the 16 years since, this was the last playoff game the Leafs and Senators have played and the “Battle of Ontario” has not been the same since.
The score may not have been as tight as the previous games we talked about, but what makes this so special is that it was the end of era.
At this point, the curse of the Maple Leafs was real for Senators fans. No matter if they had a better team on paper or held a 3-2 series lead, Ottawa couldn’t close out a series on their provincial rivals.
With the game being played in Toronto, Leafs fans felt this game was over before it started, and that’s kind of what happened.
The Leafs made it 1-0 early, then two of the biggest goals in Joe Nieuwendyk’s Leafs career were scored minutes later.
The last time the Leafs won a playoff series they beat the Senators 4-1 in 7 games in 2004. Zdeno Chara was an alternate captain for Ottawa and the Leafs goal scorers were Chad Kilger, Joe Nieuwendyk (2), and Bryan McCabe. Patrick Lalime was pulled after allowing 3G on 11 shots. pic.twitter.com/32HvoIZWWW
— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) April 25, 2018
Those two goals should never gone in, but as mentioned previously, the superhero in the movie never dies.
The Leafs would win this game 4-1 and end the golden age of the “Battle of Ontario.”
dark. Next. 3 Potential Expansion Cities
I cannot wait for the Senators to get good again so that the Leafs can beat them one more time in a playoff series.