The Toronto Maple Leafs exorcised their playoff demons with a gritty 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 6 of their opening-round series at the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night.
The Leafs jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the second period. However, the Senators fought back to tie the game midway through the third period. Max Pacioretty played the role of hero, scoring 81 seconds after David Perron tied the game for the Sens.
William Nylander scored his second of the night, an empty-netter, to seal the victory for Toronto.
The series victory marks just the second time in the Auston Matthews era that the Leafs have advanced to the second round. With that in mind, here’s a look at the three main takeaways from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ series-clinching win in Game 6.
3 key takeaways from Toronto Maple Leafs series-clinching win in Game 6
The Core Four stepped up
Part of the criticism from Games 4 and 5 was the Core Four’s inability to step up. This situation was especially the case in Game 5’s 4-0 blanking.
But the Core Four did not disappoint on Thursday night. William Nylander scored twice (more on that in a moment), Auston Matthews opened the scoring, and Mitch Marner got an assist on the night.
In particular, Matthews’ power play late in the first was huge as it got the Leafs off their two-game skid.
The Core Four did what they had to do to win. That’s what they’re paid for and made no mistake in proving they’re for real.
Nylander led the way with three points
An unfortunate blunder nearly cost the Toronto Maple Leafs dearly before Game 6. As Elliotte Friedman explained during the first intermission, a miscue in the lineup cards switched Alex and William Nylander, almost making William ineligible for the game.
Fortunately, one of the officials noticed the mistake, and the issue was corrected before it was too late.
It was a lucky break as the blunder would have cost the Leafs Nylander’s three-point night. Nylander scored twice and added an assist, putting his team on his back in the dying seconds.
Let’s look at Nylander’s first goal:
Nylander retrieved a loose puck and fired a rocket past Linus Ullmark for the goal. Max Pacioretty got the assist on the goal.
Then, Nylander scored an empty-netter to deal the win. Here it is:
I’d like to point out that this wasn’t a run-of-the-mill empty-netter. The play started with a heroic block from Scott Laughton. Nylander picked up the rebound and muscled off the Sens’ defenders as he was tripped.
A penalty was called on the play but was negated on the goal.
Both Laughton and Nylander deserve a ton of credit for working hard on the play, setting up their team for a historic win.
Pacioretty rewards faith in him
Max Pacioretty was practically an afterthought heading into the playoffs. But he was healthy and waiting for an opportunity to contribute.
He had to wait till Game 3 to get into the lineup. While he didn’t do much in Games 3 and 4, he was huge in Game 6. Pacioretty scored the game-winner moments after the Senators had tied the game.
Here’s a look at the goal:
Pontus Holmberg was a pitbull on this play, digging out the puck behind the net. That allowed Max Domi to get the puck back to Pacioretty who let a rocket fly over Ullmark’s glove.
Holmberg played a crucial role as he screened the front of the Sens’ goal, allowing the puck to hit the back of the net.
Ultimately, the Toronto Maple Leafs played a solid all-around game, showing maturity unlike we’ve seen in the past. They didn’t crumble when the Senators tied the game. Instead, the Leafs got a gritty third-line shift that led to the game-winner.
The Leafs will now face the Florida Panthers in the second round. Toronto will look to avenge their 2023 defeat, potentially advancing to the Conference Final for the first time since 2002.