Mitch Marner had a goal and two assists as the Toronto Maple Leafs cruised to a commanding 6-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series, rekindling the Battle of Ontario in emphatic fashion.
William Nylander and captain John Tavares each contributed a goal and an assist, while Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Morgan Rielly, and Matthew Knies also found the back of the net for Toronto. Superstar Auston Matthews chipped in with two assists, and goaltender Anthony Stolarz made 31 saves to backstop the Leafs to victory at a raucous Scotiabank Arena.
The win gave Toronto a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, which continues Tuesday night with Game 2 on home ice before shifting to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4.
Drake Batherson and Ridly Greig scored for the Senators, who struggled to keep pace in their first playoff appearance since 2017. Linus Ullmark made 18 saves in a tough night between the pipes for Ottawa.
This marked the first playoff meeting between the Ontario rivals in exactly 21 years — a gap dating back to April 20, 2004, when the Leafs eliminated the Senators in Game 7. Much has changed since that last postseason clash: Ottawa made a deep run to the 2007 Stanley Cup Final, while Toronto suffered through a decade-long drought, qualifying for the playoffs just once between 2006 and 2016.
The Leafs’ current core — led by Matthews, Marner, and Nylander — returned to the postseason in 2017, though they’ve managed only one series win in nine attempts. Sunday’s performance suggested they’re hungry to change that narrative.
Ekman-Larsson opened the scoring at 7:09 of the first period with a blistering shot past Ullmark’s glove. Moments later, Marner capitalized on a stretch pass from Matthews and roofed a shot to give Toronto a 2-0 cushion with 7:42 left in the period.
Batherson gave Ottawa life by cleaning up a rebound at 15:51, but the Leafs pulled away in the second. Tavares made it 3-1 on the power play, jamming home his own rebound at 4:07, and Nylander blasted a goal just three seconds into a 5-on-3 advantage to stretch the lead to 4-1.
Ottawa’s best chance to close the gap came on a late second-period power play, but Stolarz denied Fabian Zetterlund in close.
Greig pulled the Senators within two early in the third on a delayed penalty, but any momentum was short-lived. Just 45 seconds later, Rielly’s shot deflected off a defender and beat Ullmark to restore Toronto’s three-goal lead. Knies sealed the deal with a late goal to cap off a dominant night for the Leafs.
For Ottawa, the game marked the long-awaited playoff debut of captain Brady Tkachuk in his seventh NHL season, but the Senators couldn’t overcome Toronto’s firepower and special teams prowess — the Leafs converted three times on six power-play opportunities.
Now trailing in the series, the Senators will look to regroup and even things up Tuesday. But if Game 1 is any indication, Toronto appears poised and focused as they chase their elusive playoff breakthrough.
