Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates scoring a goal during the third period of Game One of the First Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Toronto Maple Leafs are leading the Round 1 series against the Ottawa Senators 3-0 and it’s a reminder, in case there need to be any more of them, that this team looks different. They’ve looked different all season and proved it time and time again, from their continuous winning even during Auston Matthews‘ injury to the pivot to offense when Anthony Stolarz was hurt. Now, the Maple Leafs are showing the hockey world once again that this is the best suited to go on a run, and their play against the Senators is a reminder of that.
They usually lose those games in the playoffs that go to overtime, especially games where they had a late lead but failed to shut the door. This time around, they are finding ways to win with 3-2 overtime wins in Game 2 and Game 3. The blown leads in the third period are a concern, but what’s stood out is their ability to finish the job, which they’ll look to do on Saturday to sweep their division rival on their way to the second round (and what they’re hoping is their first Stanley Cup title since 1967.)
Maple Leafs Take Things Up a Notch In Overtime
Hockey is filled with backhanded compliments. “This team has a great penalty kill,” sounds like praise, for example, and it’s only a great penalty kill in the first place because the team must take a lot of penalties. The same applies to complimenting the ability to recover after blowing a lead. Sure, the win is great but the only reason it’s a recovery is because they blew a lead in the first place.
Yet, that’s where the Maple Leafs stand after boasting a 2-1 lead in the third period of Game 2 and a 2-1 Game 3 lead with only 8:38 left in regulation, only to win both games 3-2. This time, it’s a bigger deal considering this team’s history and more notably, their recent playoff history and the collapses that come with it. They’ve lost games late, fallen apart in overtime, and had chances to close out a series and struggled to do so, including blowing the 3-1 series lead to the Montreal Canadiens in 2021. The Maple Leafs are winning these games. When the pressure has amped up, they’ve delivered.
They don’t ask how, they ask how many, and the only thing that matters is how many wins the Maple Leafs have and how many the Senators have. Likewise, they don’t ask who scores as long as someone does, which is true about the past two games, where depth skaters found the back of the net. The depth skaters are scoring the overtime winners while the stars are leading the way as well, making this team in particular a special one.
Maple Leafs Star Power Leading The Way
Since the “core four” was assembled, they’ve built a reputation for disappearing when the Maple Leafs need them the most. In the first, they’re the ones leading the way. Matthews and Mitch Marner have two goals and nine assists combined, including a Game 3 goal where Marner hit Matthews on a great centering pass from behind the net. John Tavares and William Nylander have added three goals and five assists combined to the top six. Add it all up, and the four forwards have scored four of the 12 goals and recorded 14 of the team’s 20 assists.
Their offense stands out but it’s not just the offense making an impact. The four forwards have stepped up on both ends of the ice and have played remarkable defense to set up the offense. Matthews and Marner were always known for having the talent to play defense well; after all, they were Selke Trophy finalists in 2023 and 2024 (Matthews being a finalist was a surprise to many but not those who watched him closely). However, they have kicked things into another gear in the playoffs.
The Game 3 overtime goal embodied how the star players are playing the complete 200-foot game. Matthews won the faceoff, and the puck was sent back to the point, where an open look resulted in the dagger. Winning faceoffs is an often overlooked attribute in the NHL but not for Matthews, who helped the Maple Leafs win their 32nd draw (the Senators only won 19) and the game because of it.
When Needed, Depth Is Also Stepping Up
The Game 3 overtime goal was a case in point of the depth skaters helping the Maple Leafs to control this series. The Maple Leafs didn’t ask Simon Benoit to be a scorer all season, as the middle-pair defenseman had one goal in 78 regular-season games. He was on the ice to defend, and still, the puck found him with an open look at the goal and he buried it.
Benoit, a 26-year-old defenseman who is hitting his stride, is a reflection of the defense as a whole. There aren’t star players but they have multiple great players who make the unit a complete one. Chris Tanev leads the way with his defensive-zone instincts and ability to eat up pucks, while Jake McCabe is the workhorse, averaging 21:51 ice time in this series. Throw in Morgan Rielly’s play from the point, and the Maple Leafs have a defense that can shut down opponents and fuel a playoff run.
Benoit is also just one of the many depth skaters who have stepped up in this series so far. Max Domi had his big moment in Game 2 as his shot gave the Maple Leafs the win in overtime. Matthew Knies has two goals, and at 22 years old, is a young forward who continues adding a spark to the offense.
Because this is the Maple Leafs, nobody will believe them until they get the job done. They can have a 4-0 lead in Game 4, and everyone will wonder how the Senators might find the back of the net a few times to make the fans sweat it out. This team so far looks like the one who can seal the deal. It might not be pretty as they could blow a lead in the third period but they’ll get the results.
Where Third Period Struggles Will Come Back to Haunt Them
The way things are shaping up, the Maple Leafs will face the Florida Panthers, who have a 2-0 series lead, in the second round. The Panthers are not only the team that beat the Maple Leafs in the second round in 2023 but have also appeared in the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back seasons and are the reigning champions. The Eastern Conference runs through them until it doesn’t.
The Senators are a good team, and aside from Game 1, which got out of hand, they’ve played well against the Maple Leafs. They will be a force in the Eastern Conference in the future with a young group that’s only getting better. The problem is the Senators are still a young team, and it shows.
They’ve battled back in the last two games to force overtime but have failed to complete the comeback. Brady Tkachuk had a clutch goal in Game 3, yet he hasn’t taken over this series. The Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk is the type of player who can take over a series, and the Panthers have plenty of skaters unfazed by the big stage, making an overtime period or a late-game deficit a non issue.
The Maple Leafs are doing what they’re supposed to do in the first round: taking care of business against a less-talented team. That said, they still must close out games, something all Cup-winning teams do well. Even the high-flying offensive-minded ones like the Colorado Avalanche in 2022 tightened up and played great defense when needed. The Maple Leafs hired head coach Craig Berube with playoff hockey in mind, and when the Maple Leafs have a late lead, they must shut the door.
