It’s Game Day. And it’s a big one.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators continue their first-round series tonight with Game 6 of the Battle of Ontario. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. EST.
Game 5 Recap
Game 5 was one that both the Maple Leafs and Leafs Nation will want to forget. It was exactly what fans didn’t want to see happen with them being up 3-1 in the series. They looked lifeless and lacked urgency throughout the entire game. At points, they looked like they would be able to turn it on late and get back in the game. Unfortunately, on the power play, the Senators picked off a pass and scored on a 2-1, giving them a 2-0 lead. After that, Craig Berube decided to pull the goalie, twice and Ottawa score two goals on the empty net, and Toronto lost 4-0, and now only have a 3-2 series lead.
Tonight, is the most important game for the series, they need a win. Berube is going to need to make a lineup change or two, to put some life back into this roister and get them to come out with more urgency than they had last game. If no lineup changes are made, then he will need to find another way to inject energy and passion into the lineups so they can close out the series tonight in Game 6. If they fail to do so, they could be at risk of being reserve swept and losing in the first round yet again.
Team Stats
Toronto Maple Leafs
Series Record: 3-2
- Mitch Marner: 1 G, 6 A, 7 P
- William Nylander: 1 G, 5 A, 6 P
- Auston Matthews: 1 G, 5 A, 6 P
- John Tavares: 3 G, 2 A, 4 P
- Matthew Knies: 3 G, 0 A, 3 P
Goalie Stats:
- Anthony Stolarz: 3-2, 2.25 GAA, .899 SV%
Ottawa Senators
Series Record: 2-3
Top 5 Scorers:
- Brady Tkachuk: 3 G, 3 A, 6 P
- Tim Stutzle: 2 G, 3 A, 5 P
- Claude Giroux: 1 G, 3 A, 4 P
- Adam Gaudette: 1 G, 2 A, 3P
- Jake Sanderson: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
Goalie Stats:
- Linus Ullmark: 2-3, 2.80 GAA, .883 SV%
Projected Lineups
There are just projections, these lineups are subject to change before the drop of the puck.
Matthew Knies — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty — John Tavares — William Nylander
Calle Jarnkrok — Scott Laughton — Steven Lorentz
Pontus Holmberg — Max Domi — Bobby McMann
Jake McCabe — Chris Tanev
Morgan Rielly — Brandon Carlo
Simon Benoit — Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Anthony Stolarz
Joseph Woll
Scratched: David Kampf, Nick Robertson, Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, Artur Akhtyamov
Ottawa Senators:
Brady Tkachuk — Tim Stutzle — Claude Giroux
Fabian Zetterlund — Dylan Cozens — Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig — Shane Pinto — Michael Amadio
David Perron — Adam Gaudette — Nick Cousins
Jake Sanderson — Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot — Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven — Nikolas Matinpalo
Linus Ullmark
Anton Forsberg
Scratched: Dennis Gilbert, Travis Hamonic, Matthew Highmore
Game 6 Prediction
After starting the series with very close predictions things have taken a turn. I have picked the Maple Leafs to close out this series the last two games and it hasn’t happened. However, I don’t believe they are going to lose this series to the Senators, they are just too good of a team to have that happen. Which is why I am picking the Maple Leafs to win a close game tonight against the Senators and officially move on to the second round, where they will face the Florida Panthers.
Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Hub
I am predicting, the Maple Leafs will win 3-1 over Ottawa tonight in Game 6 and will win the series.
