For just the second time since 2004, the Toronto Maple Leafs have advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and they did so against a familiar rival. Once again, the Maple Leafs came out on top in the Battle of Ontario with a 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators, eliminating them from the playoffs.
Even though the Senators managed to plant a seed of doubt in Toronto’s mind with consecutive wins after initially falling down 3-0, the Maple Leafs found another gear and picked up the win in Game 6 to avoid having to return home for Game 7.
Toronto advances to face the Florida Panthers, while the Senators are packing up for an early offseason.
Senators Fans Were Mostly Encouraged Despite the Loss
Despite their season coming to an end, the mood of Senators fans was mostly optimistic for the future.
One fan, frustrated with the ending, said, “Great season overall. Need someone major improvement tho this summer. Fought back but lackluster effort in game 6.”
Great season overall. Need someone major improvement tho this summer. Fought back but lackluster effort in game 6
— bfudge (@BFudgee) May 2, 2025
One fan was upset with goaltender Linus Ullmark, saying, “It was a great run but unfortunately Ullmark couldn’t save a beach ball tonight.”
Another fan is looking forward to the future, saying, “A young team with a very bright future. Ottawa fans should be proud of their team’s effort in this series.”
Continuing in that theme, one X user said, “So proud of you boys. No one thought we would make it, but you proved them wrong. We’ll be back next year.”
“Proud of the boys! thank you for such an exciting season. Was an emotional roller coaster the whole time,” said another fan.
Proud of the boys! thank you for such an exciting season. Was an emotional roller coaster the whole time 😂
— Josh TheAnarchist (@JTheanarchist) May 2, 2025
Looking toward the future, one more fan said, “Proud of this team man, they honestly deserved better. Credit to the Leafs they played well but Senators honestly had some crazy looks. It sucks. They’ll be back.”
Maple Leafs Insist There Was No Panic Against the Senators
Toronto forward William Nylander scored twice and added an assist, and he became the first Leafs player with three points in a series-clinching game since 1994.
During a postgame interview immediately after the game with the NHL on TNT panel, Nylander explained that there wasn’t any panic in the group despite having lost two straight.
“It was pretty relaxed, I think we had a good meeting when we got here to Ottawa,” he said. “We were relaxed and focused for this game.”
The schedule for the second round series between the Maple Leafs and Panthers has yet to be released.