TORONTO — The same struggles that plagued the Ottawa Senators in their series opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs looked like they returned for Game 2 on Tuesday night.
An impressive Ottawa turnaround after the first intermission eventually led to overtime but it wasn't enough to get on the board in the best-of-seven Battle of Ontario.
Max Domi scored in the extra session to give Toronto a 3-2 win and 2-0 series lead, but the Senators will take plenty of positives back to the nation's capital.
"I really liked the way we played tonight," said Senators head coach Travis Green. "It was a big step for our group."
After dropping a 6-2 decision in Game 1, the Senators lacked spark and were regularly on their heels in the opening period of the rematch.
Goaltender Linus Ullmark again looked shaky from the outset, giving up two goals on Toronto's first four shots.
Morgan Rielly opened the scoring at 3:43 and the Maple Leafs' power-play unit quickly delivered on its lone opportunity.
John Tavares made it 2-0 at 8:20, just 18 seconds after Artem Zub was sent off for tripping.
The Senators, who are making their first post-season appearance in eight years, came out with more jump in the second period.
Ridly Greig was effective in getting under the Maple Leafs' skin and Brady Tkachuk caught a break at 15:41 when his backpass hit Brandon Carlo's skate and crossed the line.
Ottawa kept the pressure on the home team and it paid off at 14:47 of the third period. Adam Gaudette tipped Tyler Kleven's shot past Anthony Stolarz to silence the Scotiabank Arena crowd.
"I don't think they had many grade-A chances," said Tkachuk. "It was a tight checking game and it comes down to overtime, comes down to one shot. And yeah, things happen.
"You're not always going to get the bounces."
Ottawa outshot Toronto 28-21 and had a 44-25 edge in hits. The Maple Leafs had a whopping 32-6 advantage in blocked shots.
"We spent a lot of time in their zone," Green said. "We give their team credit. They blocked a lot shots. And typical playoff hockey, though. But to play a road game like that was very encouraging for our team.
"And now we've got to play a little better next game."
The numbers are not in Ottawa's favour as the series shifts to Canadian Tire Centre for the next two games.
The Senators are 0-9 all-time after dropping the first two games in best-of-seven series. Toronto has a 10-0 record in best-of-seven series after winning the first two games at home.
Game 3 is set for Thursday night and Game 4 will be played Saturday evening.
"We're excited to play in front of our fans there," said Gaudette. "We have a loud building and it's going to be tough on them to come in and play.
"Where our game is at right now, we're in a good spot."
If a fifth game is needed, it will be played April 29 in Toronto.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2025.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
