It’s Game Day!
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators kick off their first-round series—and the fifth instalment of the Battle of Ontario—tonight at 7:00 p.m. EST.
There’s a ton of hype around this matchup. For the Maple Leafs, this feels like their best shot at a real playoff run after winning the Atlantic. But the Senators won’t go quietly. They play a heavy game that can wear down Toronto’s top stars.
Ottawa has become a trendy sleeper pick to pull off an upset, which only adds to the tension already built into this rivalry.
It’s the Battle of Ontario—one of the best rivalries from the early 2000s—and it’s back in full force. This series is going to be a fun one.
Team Stats
Toronto Maple Leafs
Team Record: 52-26-4 (108 points)
Position: 1st in Atlantic
Top 5 Scorers:
- Mitch Marner: 27 G, 75 A, 102 P
- William Nylander: 45 G, 39 A, 84 P
- Auston Matthews: 33 G, 45 A, 78 P
- John Tavares: 38 G, 36 A, 74 P
- Matthew Knies: 29 G, 29 A 58 P
Goalie Stats:
- Anthony Storlarz: 21-8-3, 2.14 GAA, .926 SV%
- Joseph Woll: 27-14-1, 2.73 GAA, ,909 SV%
Ottawa Senators
Team Record: 47-31-4 (98 points)
Position: 3rd in Atlantic
Top 5 Scorers:
- Tim Stützle: 24 G, 55 A, 79 P
- Drake Batherson: 26 G, 42 A, 68 P
- Jake Sanderson: 11 G, 46 A, 57 P
- Brady Tkachuk: 29 G, 26 A, 55 P
- Claude Giroux: 15 G, 35 A, 50 P
Goalie Stats:
- Linus Ullmark: 25-14-3, 2.72 GAA, .910 SV%
- Anton Forsberg: 11-12-3, 2.72 GAA, .901 SV%
Projected Lineups
Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner
Max Domi – John Tavares – William Nylander
Bobby McMann – Pontus Holmberg – Nick Robertson
Steven Lorentz – Scott Laughton – Calle Jarnkrok
Jake McCabe – Chris Tanev
Morgan Rielly – Brandon Carlo
Simon Benoit – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Anthony Stolarz
Joseph Woll
Scratched: Max Pacioretty, David Kampf, Ryan Reaves, Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers
Ottawa Senators
Brady Tkachuk – Tim Stützle – Claude Giroux
David Perron – Dylan Cozens – Drake Batherson
Ridley Greig – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio
Matthew Highmore – Adam Gaudette – Fabian Zetterlund
Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot – Nik Jensen
Tyler Kleven – Nikolas Matinpalo
Linus Ullmark
Anton Forsberg
Scratched: Nick Cousins, Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic
Game 1 Prediction:
Toronto has a lot to prove this year. They finished first, drew a new opponent, and just had their best season in the last five years. I expect them to come out strong and show they’re not here to be bounced in the first round. As for the Senators, this is their first trip to the playoffs since 2017—and their first time with this core. That matters. Adjusting to playoff hockey as a group can take time, and that learning curve might show early.
Maple Leafs take Game 1 with a 5–2 win over Ottawa.
