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If there’s one team the Maple Leafs historically have no trouble closing out at playoff time, it’s the Ottawa Senators.
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But this is not the early 2000s anymore. These Sens aren’t folding, living to fight another day, another game, going at home again to the Canadian Tire Centre. With the Leafs’ Scotiabank Arena ready to party and spill out to the streets, they were flustered in a 4-0 win.
“It’s been a tight-checking series,” Ottawa coach Travis Green noted. “But individually and collectively our game has got better.”
The same can’t be said about the Leafs, now with a record of 1-for-13 in clinching games since 2018. Our takeaways on the 4-0 loss, stunned by another short-handed goal and two empty netters.
POWER OF ZERO
A 31.3% power play would normally be a statistic to preen about, but it’s all been front-loaded in this series for Toronto.
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Including the failed conversion of the double minor that should have won Game 4 and the series, the Leafs are 0-for-6. A static-stuttered effort from the five forward unit telegraphed far too many plays that goalie Linus Ullmark and his defence saw coming.
“We’re kind of forcing some stuff, we have to get back to simplicity,” said Auston Matthews, held to one goal overall in this Battle of Ontario to date. “Bring guys to the net, get some pucks through.”
Coach Craig Berube didn’t mention Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander or anyone else by name, but was very cross to give up two short-handed goals in consecutive losses. That hasn’t happened in back-to-back post-season games since the Buffalo Sabres beat the Leafs in the 1999 Eastern Conference final.
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Matthews said he didn’t see Adam Gaudette come between him and a soft point pass to Marner that Dylan Cozens later buried for the 2-0 goal.
“We made a bad play on the power play, a chance to get (a goal) back,” Berube said. “Our power play wasn’t direct enough tonight in shot volume and getting stuff to the net. And in the third (rambunctious Ridly Greig’s second minor the game) that (failed) power play hurt us.”
Going back to that clinching game drought, the power play is 1-for-31 in the Core Four era.
STOIC STOLARZ
Once more, Toronto netminder Anthony Stolarz held his team in with some spectacular 1-on-1 saves, but again the winning goal beat him through a screen.
It came off a draw Matthews lost to Tim Stutzle, worked back to Thomas Chabot at the point and drifted in, with Marner unable to close the gap, with the bodies the Leafs had hoped to get at the other end proving effective.
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“I didn’t see much, think I got a little piece of it,” said Stolarz. “It’s one where you have to keep fighting for a sight line and make the save.
“It’s playoff hockey there in a nutshell and right now they’re doing the little things to get there. We have to try to battle through that and do the same thing to their goalie.”
But Stolarz, a member of the 2024 champion Florida Panthers, was far from despondent at the result and gave no hints the Leafs are rattled.
“We have to keep doing what we’re doing, we like our game and where it’s at. They (Senators) have nothing to lose … it’s lose or they go home. They’re laying it all on the line. We haven’t got to that point yet. We have one game to go in Ottawa and we’ll give them a run for their money.”
BACK TO OTTAWA
These were the first back-to-back losses by the Leafs since mid-March, but Berube twice reminded his media inquisitors that the Leafs are still up 3-2 in the series. That said, it will be interesting if he does make a lineup change Thursday.
“We’re fine, this was never supposed to be easy,” Marner added. “They’ve pushed back the last two games, now we have to go into their building and play our best game. We’ve been a great road team all year, been a great team all year, the stats show it. We are leading the conference.”
X: @sunhornby
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