Monday FTB: Games One

Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

Last night the Maple Leafs took it to the Senators, handily beating them 6-2, and scoring three power play goals - a big hinderance in past playoff series.

Recap: Leafs calmly beat the emo Senators

Power play, Stolie, fourth line, top line. Who says this isn’t a complete team?

PPP LeafsCathy Squires

With a big win out of the way, I was wondering how the Leafs kicked off past playoff series. So, let's start with the Battle of Ontario:

2000 Playoffs
Ottawa Senators 0 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 2
Maple Leafs win series 4-2

The Maple Leafs shutout the Senators, with Mats Sundin and Darcy Tucker scoring.

2001 Playoffs
Ottawa Senators 0 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 1 (OT)
Maple Leafs win series 4-0

Another shutout to start the series, with Mats Sundin scoring the lone goal in overtime.

2002 Playoffs
Ottawa Senators 5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 0
Maple Leafs win series 4-3

This one wasn't as much fun, but fun it's the third year in a row the series began with a shutout. Martin Havlat, Radek Bonk, Shane Hnidy, Todd White, and Daniel Alfredsson scored for Ottawa.

2004 Playoffs
Ottawa Senators 4 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 2
Maple Leafs win series 4-3

Second opening win for Ottawa, but the Leafs would take this series as well. Alsom no shutout.

Joe Nieuwendyk and Bryan McCabe scored for Toronto, Bryan Smolinski, Wade Redden, and Marian Hossa (2) scored for Ottawa.

The Battle of Ontario has opened 2-2 in the past, and now the Leafs have the game one lead at 3-2.

Recently? Well let's count recently as post-weird North Division season.

2022 Playoffs
Tampa Bay Lightning 0 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 5
Lightning win series 4-3

Back to starting with a shutout, but oh, it's not Ottawa so it's all going to end in a loss. Jake Muzzin, David Kampf, Mitch Marner, and Auston Matthews (2) scored.

2023 Playoffs
Tampa Bay Lightning 7 @ Toronto Maple Leafs 3
Maple Leafs win series 4-3

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Anthony Cirelli, Nikita Koucherov, Corey Perry, Ross Colton, and Brayden Point (2) scored for Tampa, and Ryan O'Rielly, William Nylander, and Calle Jarnkrok scored for Toronto.

2024 Playoffs
Toronto Maple Leafs 1 @ Boston Bruins 5
Bruins win series 4-3

Our first game one on the road, and it's Boston. Nylander was out injured, and it took the usual course against Boston. Leafs out shooting, penalized more, and we need the bottom six to score. John Beecher, Jake DeBrusk (2), Brandon Carlo, and Trent Frederic scored for Boston and David Kampf scored for Toronto.

So, looking recently, we can thank the Senators for making it to the second wildcard spot, and we can be rather for sure about our chances.

Now, some other news.

Want to read more about the past? Sure, there's no present game tonight.

Goin’ down the Highway 401 — Offside News

The Battle of Ontario Throughout the Years

Offside NewsLiz Malcolm

The Leafs got off to a hot start, and it spread to the arena.

Oh boo hoo Ottawa.

Travis Green on the Senators’ high penalty count in their Game 1 loss to the Leafs: “There were a couple of calls that they did a good job selling... It’s tough on the refs”

Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green addressed the media after a 6-2 loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal playoff series. On the overall view of his team’s performance and whether nerves factored into his team’s game: I thought maybe in the first 5 or 10 minutes, we were […]

Maple Leafs HotstoveMLHS Staff

Yeah, the Leafs are great.

Takeaways from Day 2 of NHL playoffs: Devils are in trouble; perfect start for Leafs

The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Sunday. Here are some takeaways from the day’s action.

YardbarkerAdam Gretz

The playoffs are rough on everyone, even the officials.

NHL linesman injured in Game 1 of Wild-Golden Knights playoff

NHL linesman Bryan Pancich left Sunday night’s Minnesota-Vegas playoff game 3:37 into the second period after a collision with Golden Knights forward Brett Howden. Backup official Frederick L’Ecuyer took Pancich’s

The Killeen Daily HeraldMARK ANDERSON - AP Sports Writer

Outside the NHL, the American team won the 2025 Women's World Championships.

Team USA beats Canada in OT to win 2025 women’s hockey world championship gold

Tessa Janecke scored an overtime goal in the gold-medal game to lift Team USA to a 4-3 win over Canada in the women’s hockey world championship.

USA TODAY, USA TODAY

Will we see Canadiens fans in Washington? Oilers fans in Vegas? Or Leafs fans in Florida or Vegas?

Hockey fans conflicted over travelling to U.S. to see their teams in NHL playoffs

Jack Gurevitch is a Montreal Canadiens superfan and a proud Canadian who’s upset by United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats to annex Canada, but he says he won’t let the political situation influence whether he travels to U.S.

Burnaby Now

Finally, the Toronto Argonauts sent well wishes to the Leafs ahead of game one, but couldn't be of any help with the equipment.

Enjoy your day everyone!