Ottawa Senators
Finally, wouldn’t the rekindling with the Ottawa Senators make for great for television as the Battle of Ontario would finally be officially revitalized after over two decades of dormancy. Just the energy and excitement that such a vibrant series would bring should make both the Leafs and the Senators play at the top of their game. In doing so, it would no doubt be one of the most anticipated first round matchups in recent years.
So would the Senators confrontation be any good for the Maple Leafs? Well, looking back to the past, Toronto has practically owned Ottawa in the postseason, winning all four series in which they met during the playoffs in the history of both franchises. However, that all took place more than 20 years ago and the makeup of both rosters is significantly different nowadays.
This season, the Senators have finally found a legitimate goaltender in Vezina trophy winner Linus Ullmark to man their crease.
Together with the strong play of their new wave of young talent in Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Brady Tkachuk, Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, they have surprisingly become a highly competitive team this season. For an ailing franchise that hadn’t had a sniff of the playoffs since 2017, it was sure a long time coming for the organization. (All stats from NHL.com and hockey-reference.com)
More importantly, the Senators have been on a tear lately, having won 12 of their last 18 games, including four of their past six games, while beating rivals Tampa Bay and Florida handily in the process.
With a hungry team like Ottawa gaining such momentum heading towards the playoffs, feeling that they can take on any team now, that is a team that the Leafs should avoid if possible. This holds true even with their past playoff success against them. That is because the Leafs have actually yet to record a victory over their provincial rivals this season. On top of that, with Toronto often getting “goalied” during the playoffs, Ullmark could undoubtedly be that exact candidate to do it if they do meet.