The Battle of Ontario is expected to return to the Stanley Cup qualifiers for the first time in 21 years, when the Toronto Maple Leafs welcomed Ottawa senators in match 1 of their first round series of the Eastern Conference on Sunday.
Ottawa swept the Maple Leafs 3-0 during the regular season, but finished 11 points behind Toronto in the standings.
“We are going against some of the best players in the world,” said Brady Tkachuk, team captain and top scorer for Ottawa. “It’s something you dream of, and we have the opportunity to do it on Sunday.”
Senators are expected to be at full power after Tkachuk’s return for the regular season final on Thursday after missing the previous eight games with an upper body injury.
Tkachuk is in his seventh season in the NHL, but has not yet played in an post-season match.
“It was seven long years, but it feels good to enter it,” said Tkachuk. “Now, for us, to check the box and arrive at the playoffs, it’s great and great, but there is more than we want to accomplish.”
The intensity is high between teams located at just over 270 miles.
Ottawa appeared for the last time in the playoffs in 2017 and went to the final of the Eastern Conference before losing in seven games against Pittsburgh Penguins.
The senators then finished in the last three of the Atlantic division during the following seven seasons before winning the first Joker of the Eastern Conference this season.
“With hindsight, I am happy that everything happens because everything happens for a reason,” said Tkachuk. “This is putting in place this moment, and this step, I am able to share it with all the teammates who have gone through this struggle and this difficult period. It will be a special experience.”
The Maple Leafs made the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season, but they did not get out of the first round once during this period.
Toronto has won his last five games to finish the regular season, which equaled his longest victory sequence of the season.
The Maple Leafs were without two of their upper defenders on the section due to the injuries from the upper body.
Jake McCabe missed the last seven games and Oliver Ekman-Larsson missed the last four. Toronto coach Craig Berube said on Saturday that McCabe will play in match 1, but Ekman-Larsson would be a decision on the day of the match.
Berube did not confirm that Anthony Stolarz will start with the goal, but he spoke a lot about Stolarz, who led the NHL with a percentage of stops of .926.
“He has experience in playoffs,” said Berube. “He did not start, but he has the experience of being there and seeing him. As I said, he has existed for some time now. He had an excellent year, like our two guards, so he played very well this year and he is therefore ready to leave.”
The Ottawa Guardian Veteran Linus Ullmark, who posted the same percentage of stops (2.72) as Anton Forsberg’s backup, should start the opener after a regular season of 25 victories in 44 appearances. The winner of the Vezina 2023 trophy also had a percentage of stops from .910 this season.
The special teams are included in playing a major role in the series.
The senators had the 12th best power game during the regular season and Toronto was ninth.
Tkachuk scored 14 goals in digital advantage during the regular season and Drake Batherson had 13, but Tim Stutzle also seems to make whistles.
“We have examined a lot of that and talked about it a lot,” said Berube. “We must be disciplined, but you cannot be temporary either.”
Offensively, Toronto is led by his three Grands from Mitch Marner (102 points, fifth in the NHL), William Nylander (84 points) and Captain Auston Matthews (78 points). Nylander finished second in the NHL with 45 goals and Marner finished third in assists with 75.
– field level media