Toronto Maple Leafs @ Ottawa Senators
07:00 PM at Canadian Tire Centre
Watch on: TBS, MAX, CBC, SN, TVAS

Three games to two is a very popular state in the NHL this year in the first round.

Them

Ottawa had an optional skate today:

Lines subject to change, the below is from the last game.

Lines

Last Game (2025-04-29) via Daily Faceoff

Brady Tkachuk - Tim Stützle - Claude Giroux
David Perron - Dylan Cozens - Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig - Shane Pinto - Michael Amadio
Nick Cousins - Adam Gaudette - Fabian Zetterlund

Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot - Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven - Nikolas Matinpalo

Linus Ullmark - presumed starter
Anton Forsberg

Us

The Leafs did not do line rushes per reports but this appears to be the lines:

Lines

Projection based on today's skate from multiple reports:

Matthew Knies - Auston Matthews - Mitch Marner
Max Pacioretty - John Tavares - William Nylander
Bobby McMann - Pontus Holmberg - Max Domi
Steven Lorentz - Scott Laughton - Calle Järnkrok

Jake McCabe - Chris Tanev
Morgan Rielly - Brandon Carlo
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Simon Benoit

Anthony Stolarz - starter
Joe Woll

The Game

So, I hear you want an easy win, a walkover, domination of the other team in four straight with leads of two, three goals at all times. Big scoring games, easy, safe, comfortable. Can I suggest you try the London Knights then?

The NHL is supposed to be hard. The Atlantic division is extremely hard and they sent five teams to the playoffs for a reason. Cast your minds back a few weeks when Tampa was held up as an example of a good team. Where are they now? They found out how hard this is.

Moneypuck had Ottawa as the toughest wild card team to beat. And so they are, with the Wild close on their heels. Neither Vegas, nor the Leafs are "bad" because they have to work for their wins. Dallas and Colorado are working hard to win their games too.

This is what you signed up for the first time you ever watched a hockey game. Do you like the hard hits and the pace? Do you like the effort that leaves players gasping and cherry red on the bench between shifts? How about the skill a player needs just to score in half his games or how fast a player has to think and move? Then you know it's a hard game. It's why you're here.

No one is ever strewing the path of the Toronto Maple Leafs with rose petals. They have to work for it.

Go Leafs Go!

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