The Battle of Ontario is one of the most storied rivalries in the NHL. Although it lacks the history of the Battle of Alberta between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs’ clashes have been no less bloody. In 2002, Darcy Tucker hit Daniel Alfredsson from behind but didn’t draw a penalty, leading to a controversial game-winning goal. The following season, Tucker attacked Chris Neil on the bench, causing a brawl that resulted in 163 penalty minutes called in the game. The year after, Alfredsson mocked Mats Sundin’s suspension for throwing a broken stick into the stands, which drew plenty of ire from the Maple Leafs’ faithful.
The bad blood between the two franchises was summed up perfectly by Toronto’s goalie, Anthony Stolarz. “It’s gonna be a bloodbath,” he said. “Gonna be a little bit of war. So, we’ll be ready.”
That statement might seem somewhat misplaced. The Maple Leafs finished first in the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference with 52 wins and 108 points, while the Senators squeaked into the playoffs with 45 wins and 97 points. Toronto’s offence was led by Mitch Marner with 102 points and William Nylander, who finished with 45 goals, his third consecutive 40-plus goal season. Ottawa’s top scorer, Tim Stutzle, had just 79 points, and no one surpassed 30 goals, with Brady Tkachuk coming the closest with 29.
However, the two teams are more evenly matched than they look. In the three matchups between the Senators and Maple Leafs this season, Ottawa took home all three. Furthermore, both teams have very similar effectiveness on special teams, and when it comes to goaltending, Ottawa boasts the more consistent starter. Although they’ll still have an uphill battle, the Senators have a chance to take the series home over their Ontario rivals. A few things have to go perfectly for them, though.
Brady Tkachuk Is Back to 100%
When captain Brady Tkachuk went down with an upper-body injury on March 30, Senators’ fans were beside themselves. Tkachuk is the face of the franchise and arguably the most impactful player on the roster, and if he were hurt for the playoffs, the Senators didn’t stand much of a chance, no matter who they faced. Against the Maple Leafs, however, he was a wrecking ball, throwing 12 hits over three games and firing seven shots on net. He didn’t manage to get a goal in those three games, but his presence pushed Toronto off their game enough to give Ottawa a significant advantage.
Thankfully, in the last game of the season, Tkachuk returned to the ice, much to the fans’ relief. But the relief didn’t stay long, as the Senators’ captain sat out all of the third period after taking a stick to the face. Of course, the team said it was all part of the plan. “I haven’t played in two and a half weeks,” said Tkachuk after the game against the Carolina Hurricanes. “So just get the timing and I mean it’s not that much time at the end. But (I) just wanted to get some reps, power-play reps, and I think we accomplished that.”
But was 10 minutes enough for Tkachuk to get back into peak form? Although the game had little meaning for both teams, he still finished with a minus-2 in the 7-5 Senators victory and wasn’t able to get any of his three shots past Frederik Andersen. Coming back from an injury always takes time, and Tkachuk hasn’t had a lot of time to get back to speed before jumping into the toughest hockey he’s played in his young career.
Still, Tkachuk’s teammates aren’t worried. “I’m sure he’s going to be a madman,” said Shane Pinto when asked about his captain’s impact in the playoffs. Jake Sanderson echoed those thoughts, especially when thinking back to the 4 Nations in February. “I think he took his game to the next level, and really put his name on the map worldwide.” Tkachuk is a hockey unicorn, after all, and so maybe 10 minutes was all he needed to be ready for the playoffs.
Ullmark Finds a Second Wind
Linus Ullmark has been fantastic for the Senators this season, posting a .910 save percentage (SV%), four shutouts, and a 25-14-3 record. He was especially effective in the home stretch, posting a 13-3-1 record in his last 17 appearances and was a big reason why Ottawa secured a playoff berth for the first time since 2017. Against Toronto, he was nearly unbeatable, stopping 48 of 50 shots in his two starts against the rivals, one of which was a 27-save shutout.
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But Ullmark hasn’t been infallible. His 2.72 goals-against average (GAA) sits 26th among NHL goalies with at least 10 starts this season, tied with the inconsistent Anton Forsberg, who finished with a .901 SV%. He also struggled with injuries midway through the season, missing a significant chunk of time with a back injury and sat out for brief stints throughout the season. It led to some understandable frustration, which didn’t help the situation, although he bounced back well enough.
One concern is that Ullmark hasn’t ever started more than 56 games in a season, which he did in 2016-17 while splitting time between the Rochester Americans and Buffalo Sabres. In the NHL, his career high is 49 games, which he set in 2022-23 with the Boston Bruins. This season, he finished with 44 games with the Senators, but had he not gone down with a significant injury, he almost certainly would have surpassed that previous total. There’s no question he’s hungry to play more, but can he keep up his effectiveness in the playoffs, or is he physically drained?
The Senators’ Depth Keeps Contributing
Depth has been the Senators’ Achilles’ heel in the past, and 2024-25 proved to be no different, with several of their depth forwards going through long slumps early in the season. Things evened out as the season progressed, but key depth players like Pinto and Ridly Greig didn’t take significant steps forward this season in their production. That could be a problem in the playoffs, where depth is one of the biggest factors in a team’s success.
A few things have changed since then, though. The Senators made two big trades at the deadline, bringing in Dylan Cozens and Fabian Zetterlund, which helped spread talent more evenly across the roster. Cozens slotted into the second line centre spot, which worked out wonderfully for Drake Batherson, who’s scored 10 goals and put up 19 points in 21 games since the trade. Additionally, Pinto was pushed down to the third line, where he’s looked much more comfortable and scored seven goals and 12 points in 21 games. Zetterlund’s presence allowed Michael Amadio to move up to a more consistent spot on the third line, and he’s scored five goals and 11 points, while Greig has 14 points alongside him. That’s good news for Ottawa, as Amadio has been one of the most effective players against the Maple Leafs this season, scoring two goals and recording three blocks and 10 hits in three games.
However, an ill-timed injury could derail all of the Senators’ gains, which is why depth is so important in the playoffs. Nikolas Matinpalo has been strong filling in on the bottom pair, and Matthew Highmore has been fine in his 41 games this season, but few other players offer much value as a replacement, especially in the playoffs. An ill-timed injury could be devastating for the Senators if they are looking to upset the Maple Leafs.
Regardless of what happens, the Senators are in a great spot this season. They finally made the playoffs, and the team’s core is developing into legitimate NHL stars. Every champion has to start somewhere, and the Senators are starting to see progress after seven long rebuilding years. A Battle of Ontario is the icing on the cake to a successful season, and hopefully the first of many in the future.
