The Toronto Maple Leafs may have won Game 1, but don't expect this series to be over anytime soon.
Man, did I ever miss the Battle of Ontario. Winning any playoff game is fun, but doing it against the Ottawa Senators is even better and Game 1 couldn't have gone any better for the blue and white. Not only did the Leafs get out to an early lead, but they put thier foot down, winning 6-2.
Although this was a 2-1 game at one point, it never felt close. Toronto bounced back immediately after every Senators goal and also matched them physically. I thought the Senators played dirtier than the Leafs, but Toronto never lost their temper, showing that the additions of Chris Tanev and Max Domi over the past few years were good ones.
Despite winning in a decisve manner, you'd have to be crazy to think that the Leafs are going to keep this up and either sweep the series, or win in five games. The Leafs were are clearly the better team, but Ottawa's inexperience was the big reason why they played bad.
The majority of the Senators line-up had never played a playoff game, so the lights seemed a little bright for them, resulting in an off-night. Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk were both held pointless, but don't expect that to continue in a seven-game series.
The Battle of Ontario won't be over quickly
As much as the Leafs dominated, the Senators did find a way to get 33 shots on net, which is a positive for them. Anthony Stolarz played good enough to secure the victory, but this was his first career playoff game, so the pressures of Game 1 may look a lot differently for him, than a Game 7.
Linus Ullmark in the other net looked lost, allowing six goals on 24 shots, which is also something I wouldn't expect to continue. The Leafs power-play was incredible so it's possible they continue to score with the man-advantage, but three even-strength goals may be harder to come by for the Leafs the rest of the series.
Obviously I still think that the Leafs will win this playoff series, but nobody in Leafs Nation should expect this series to falter quickly. Ullmark is going to improve and it's going to be a lot harder to score on him as the series progresses and the Senators toughness could help wear down the Leafs.
The Senators' grittiness was a disservice to them as it resulted in a lot of penalties, which the Leafs capitalized on, but Ottawa's head coach Travis Green will make sure his team isn't taking dumb penalties the rest of the series and is playing more disciplined.
This series is just getting started, so I can't wait to see what enfolds and although I'd love for this to result in a sweep, I just can't see that happening.