The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators faced off in Game 2 of the Battle of Ontario, and Max Domi was the one to seal the deal in overtime. Both teams had their stretches of dominance, but in the end, it was a tough turnover from the Senators and Domi taking advantage of the opportunity that held up as the difference maker.
Game Recap
After a rocky Game 1, Linus Ullmark had a lot to prove coming into this game, but just under four minutes into the game, Morgan Rielly scored his second goal of the playoffs. After pushing toward the net, a pass from John Tavares was directed off the skate of Rielly, and the Maple Leafs had a one-goal lead early.
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Just a few minutes later, the Senators’ penalty kill was put to the test after costing them Game 1, and just 18 seconds into this power play, Tavares threw the puck across the crease, just as he did on the first goal, but this time it bounced off Ullmark and Jensen and ended up in the net for an early 2-0 lead.
The Senators outshot and outchanced the Maple Leafs in the period, but overall, they did not play a strong period. The Maple Leafs played much better, despite the stats showing otherwise.
The second period had a lot more physicality and tempo from both sides, but it was the Senators who took over the period. The power play looked significantly better for the Senators than their penalty kill has, and Brady Tkachuk earned his first career playoff goal in the final few minutes of the period with a between-the-legs pass attempt that took a bounce in the net.
It wouldn’t be a Maple Leafs/Senators game without a few controversial calls though, right? In the second period, Ridly Greig was spending some quality time in front of Anthony Stolarz, and the Leafs goaltender didn’t appreciate it. After multiple slashes and punches, Stolarz then body-checked Greig to the ice, and they got offsetting minor penalties.
In the third period, Thomas Chabot caught Mitch Marner in the face with a stick, but it was deemed to be a follow-through, though some fans didn’t agree, as there was very minimal contact with the puck. Despite being bloodied, the game stayed at even strength.
Possession was back-and-forth for the majority of the period, but with 5:13 to go, the Senators recorded their first shot, and it was an Adam Gaudette tip on a Tyler Kleven shot that sailed over the shoulder of Stolarz to tie the game. Tim Stutzle did an excellent job of battling in the corner to force the turnover, which ended up on Kleven’s stick.
Overtime came, and both teams came out of the gate flying. It looked like both teams were ready to end it and go home, and after an unfortunate turnover from Drake Batherson that was picked off by Simon Benoit, the Maple Leafs made their way up the ice, and Domi ended up burying it for a 3-2 victory.
The Maple Leafs took a 2-0 series lead, and should feel pretty comfortable heading to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4. The Senators have a lot of positives to take away, too, though. They played significantly better than in Game 1, and now have a good game of playoff hockey under their belt.
