» Maple Leafs fail to sweep Senators, fall in overtime in Game 4

Article content

Put those brooms away, Leafs Nation.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Some 24 years after sweeping the Ottawa Senators from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Maple Leafs couldn’t get it done again on Saturday night.

We’re going to have Game 5 in the Battle of Ontario after the Senators beat the Leafs 4-3 in overtime at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Ottawa defenceman Jake Sanderson scored the winner at 17:42 of the extra period, beating a screened Anthony Stolarz from the side boards.

The Leafs, otherwise sharp on the power play in the series, failed to score on a high-sticking double minor to Ottawa’s Drake Batherson in overtime.

Toronto had five shots on goalie Linus Ullmark after Batherson clipped Chris Tanev in the face, but lacked urgency on the lengthy man advantage. It hurt the Leafs that they didn’t have John Tavares for the power play. He had departed the game, but later returned, after he was knocked to the ice by Artem Zub.

Article content

Article content

The Senators have nudged the door open to see what’s on the other side in the best-of-seven series, but the Leafs, with a 3-1 series lead, remain in control.

Had the Leafs won Game 4, it would have been their first post-season sweep since ousting Ottawa in the first round in 2001. Instead, Toronto will get another crack at sending the Sens home for the summer on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.

The Leafs tied the game at 14:31 of the third when William Nylander spotted Oliver Ekman-Larsson and sent a perfect cross-ice pass through the seam. Ekman-Larsson isn’t the offensive threat he once was, but he still can execute and he quickly blasted a one-timer past Ullmark.

Article content

David Perron broke a 2-2 tie at 7:32 of the third when he deposited a Zub pass into an open Leafs net. Stolarz, anticipating a Zub shot, was too far out of position to recover in time to make a save.

Defensively, the Leafs were tight. Ottawa had just 22 shots in goal, including one in the second period and three in the third.

A 2-0 Senators lead in the first period didn’t strike fear into the hearts of the Leafs.

By the time the third period started, it was 2-2.

Matthew Knies, a factor in every game, brought the Leafs even at 10:12 of the second on one of the more impressive goals of the series. After Mitch Marner chipped the puck ahead, Knies chipped it second time and burst past Zub for a breakaway.

Knies hit the roof of the net over Ullmark’s right shoulder for his third goal of the series. Remarkably, Knies had enough steam to race away despite being at the end of a shift that was 46 seconds.

Article content

Not only did the Leafs tie the game in the second, they held Ottawa to one shot on goal.

A goal by Tavares late in the first period got the Leafs off the mat and onto the scoreboard.

Tavares deftly re-directed a Nylander pass into the net with 55 seconds remaining.

Ottawa was up 2-0 less than 15 minutes into the game.

A dumb roughing penalty on the part of Max Domi put the Senators on the power play at 7:59 of the first. For no reason, Domi got his right hand and stick up on Shane Pinto on a defensive-zone draw and the call was made immediately.

Just over a minute later, Tim Stutzle ripped a one-timer over the left shoulder of Stolarz.

Pinto scored while Ottawa was shorthanded at 14:11.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

Article content