The Toronto Maple Leafs failed to close out a playoff series yet again, losing a thrilling overtime decision to the Ottawa Senators in Game 4 on Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Jake Sanderson was the overtime hero in the third straight game that’s gone to the extra frame in this series. The Leafs got two huge wins in Games 2 and 3, but this time, the Sens were due for a victory.
However, the Leafs’ Game 4 defeat was hardly the result of “choking.” It was a tough, back-and-forth game that could have gone either way.
So, let’s take a look at the three main takeaways from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Game 4 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
3 main takeaways from Toronto Maple Leafs’ Game 4 loss to Ottawa Senators
First period trouble
The Ottawa Senators came out hard in the first period, looking to grab the early lead. They did just that, getting a 2-0 in the first.
It’s worth pointing out that it was the Sens’ special teams that did the trick. First, it was the Sens’ power play that made the Leafs pay. Max Domi’s dumb penalty led to the Senators’ first goal with Tim Stutzle getting his first of the series.
Then, with the Leafs on the power play and looking to tie the game, Shane Pinto scored a shorthanded goal to put Ottawa up 2-0.
That shorthanded goal was a particular problem as Craig Berube put five forwards on the ice for the power play, with Mitch Marner playing D. The Sens took advantage of that situation. While John Tavares would make the game 2-1 before the period ended, the Leafs clearly lost the opening frame.
The fourth line shined
The fourth line of Scott Laughton, Calle Jarnkrok, and Steven Lorentz played a heck of a game on Saturday night. The trio played a tough, physical game, generating a couple of looks along the way. While they weren’t really close to scoring, they provided solid shifts out there that allowed Berube to better juggle his lines.
By the end of the night, the fourth line played more like the third line as they got increasingly more ice time over the Max Domi third line.
Moving forward, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Toronto Maple Leafs swap the third and fourth lines in order to generate more offensive chances from the bottom six.
The Leafs didn’t “choke”
The narrative has finally shifted this postseason regarding the Leafs as chokers. Their Game 4 loss was hardly something that could be considered choking. Yes, the Leafs fell into a 2-0 hole early on, but they came back to tie the game.
Then, when David Perron scored midway through the third period, the Leafs answered to tie the game. In overtime, it was really anybody’s game, with the Senators getting the fortunate game-winner to stay alive.
One of the key comments during the second intermission on the Sportsnet broadcast was how the Leafs looked calm and composed despite the Senators leading the game. The Leafs managed to keep their cool and play to win.
Ultimately, the series sweep would have been nice. But it wasn’t meant to be. Now, the Leafs will have a chance to close out the series once again, this time at home on Tuesday night.