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This has been a bad week for any blue team with a big lead trying to take over Ottawa.
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But moving from the political arena to the rink, it’s the Maple Leafs who’ve given the Senators another life, dropping Game 5 by a 4-0 score on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.
That leaves the Senators down just 3-2 heading back to the Canadian Tire Centre. From misfiring on a double-minor power play with a chance to sweep on Saturday, Toronto has not scored despite three more chances Tuesday and a good shot advantage. They gave up a short-handed goal Tuesday and fell to 1-13 during the Core Four era in elimination games.
The pesky Sens were at their best, giving the offensive-minded Leafs little space, blocking numerous shots and letting Linus Ullmark take care of the rest. Another mention that only four teams in NHL history failed to finish off a best-of-seven after winning the first three.
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Despite a long pre-game pump-up video of Leaf goals in the series, Ottawa survived 12 first-period shots, four giveaways and 1:09 of a Ridly Greig penalty. Just as the Leafs couldn’t bury the Game 4 winner with the extra man, their top unit – despite John Tavares being back – was denied three times.
The first advantage came to an end when Matthew Knies slashed Artem Zub’s stick in half. Morgan Rielly also delivered a late cross-check on Thomas Chabot to put Toronto down a man to end the period. Ullmark made nice saves on a Calle Jarnkrok deflection, while Knies, Tavares and Max Domi all had partial breakaways in the period.
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But an offensive zone faceoff win by Tim Stutzle in the second period against Auston Matthews, who had shot wide on his best chance of the middle period, turned into a goal when Brady Tkachuk worked it to Chabot for a long bomb through traffic. Ottawa went well into the second period before recording its 10th shot.
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Stolarz stoned Tkachuk early in the third, but a soft Matthews pass from behind the net with Greig off again gave Dylan Cozens a freebie. Claude Giroux and Tkachuk finished the scoring with an empty netters, which triggered some booing and a mass exit.
Stolarz nearly assisted on a goal when he sent Steve Lorentz away on a late second period breakaway that the winger just failed to deke in before his stick was lifted with the net open.
Before the game, a confident captain Tkachuk told media in Ottawa: “Not too long ago, I watched the Red Sox-versus-Yankees documentary when Boston came back from 0-3. So it’s been done before and we have belief it can happen again.”
It’s not just blather. The Leafs have to pay attention now, too.
X: @sunhornby
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