Maple Leafs can ill afford to underestimate Senators, first-round exit still on the cards for Matthews & co.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are officially set on a collision course with the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the 2025 NHL playoffs.
The Leafs’ 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres sealed the first-round matchup featuring the Battle of Ontario.
The last time the Leafs and Senators faced off against one another was in 2004. In that series, the Leafs bounced the Sens in seven games in the first round.
22 years later, the Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators meet again. This time, the Leafs enter as the second seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Atlantic Division. The Senators enter the 2025 NHL playoffs as the first wild card team.
Despite the significant gap separating both teams in the standings, the Leafs can ill afford to underestimate the Senators. Ottawa swept the season series against the Leafs this season, taking all three games between the two clubs.
The Senators blanked the Leafs 3-0 on November 12, won 2-1 on January 25, and notched a 4-2 win on March 15. All three games were relatively close in spite of Ottawa outscoring Toronto 9-3. Ottawa also outshot Toronto 89-79 in those three games.
It’s worth pointing out that the regular season is one thing. The playoffs are a completely different beast. Just because the Senators won the regular-season series, doesn’t mean they will sweep the playoff series.
The Leafs have a 16-8 edge over their provincial rivals in the postseason, outscoring them 57-42. Times change, however, so it may be the Senators’ time to finally bounce the Leafs in the postseason.
Another first-round exit on the cards for Toronto Maple Leafs
The possibility of yet another first-round exit looms on the horizon for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Senators have historically been a tough squad for the Maple Leafs to play against. As such, the Senators have the best chance to upset a higher seed of all first-round matchups in the 2025 NHL playoffs.
However, both clubs enter the postseason on relatively different paths. The Leafs have turned up the juice down the stretch, riding a four-game winning streak after beating the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 on Monday night.
Toronto is now 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and should get plenty of help on the blue liner as injured defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe return from injuries.
The Senators, on the other hand, are 6-2-2 in their last 10 and registered a 4-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night. The Senators have cooled off down the stretch after making a strong run that landed them in the first wild card spot this season.
Both clubs have one more game remaining on their regular season schedules. Both games are inconsequential in the final standings. But the matchups will help set the tone for a playoff matchup more than two decades in the making.
