Battle of Ontario: Leafs beat Sens 6-2 in Game 1

The Battle of Ontario is on as Sens fans pack pubs and bars along the Sens Mile for Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. CTV’s Josh Marano reports.

The Battle of Ontario resumed in the playoffs for the first time in 21 years, as the Ottawa Senators faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of their first-round NHL playoff series.

The Maple Leafs beat the Senators 6-2 in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. Game 2 is set for Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

This is the Senators first playoff appearance since 2017, when the club lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The last time the Senators and Maple Leafs met in the playoffs was April 20, 2004, 7,670 days ago, when the Leafs won Game 7 of the first-round playoff series in Toronto.

• Senators and Leafs fans in Brockville, Ont. ready for Battle of Ontario

Games 1 and 2 of the series will be played in Toronto before the series shifts to Canadian Tire Centre for Game 3 on Thursday.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca provided live updates on Game 1 of the Senators-Maple Leafs series.

Leafs win Game 1

The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators 6-2 to win Game 1 of their first-round NHL playoff series.

Six different players scored for the Maple Leafs: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly and Matthew Knies.

Auston Matthews had two assists for the Maple Leafs.

Drake Batherson and Ridly Greig scored for the Senators, who were playing a playoff game for the first time in eight years.

Anthony Stolarz made 31 saves for the Maple Leafs in the victory, while Senators goalie Linus Ullmark made 18 saves on 24 shots.

Game 2 is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night.

“We took too many penalties”

Senators captain Brady Tkachuk spoke with reporters after the game.

“It’s clear as day what the issue was: we took too many penalties, they scored on it and that’s the game,” Tkachuk said. “That’s on us, we’ve got to be more disciplined.”

The Maple Leafs scored three goals on the powerplay.

Tkachuk was asked about preparing for Game 2.

“I wouldn’t even say forget the bad. It’s an opportunity to learn,” Tkachuk said, adding his game “clearly wasn’t good enough.”

“The good thing about it is there’s a game on Tuesday.”

“It’s just one game”

Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark allowed six goals on 24 shots in Game 1.

“It’s just one game; that’s the beauty of it,” Ullmark told reporters.

“It’s just have a mind of a goldfish and go out there and play Game 2.”

Ullmark said there are some things the Senators can clean up for Tuesday night.

“It’s never a good thing to let in three goals on the (penalty kill) and that’s something that we can all agree on and it’s something we’re going to clean up for Game 2.”

“It’s one game”

William Nylander had a goal and an assist in the Leafs win. He was asked by reporters about the Maple Leafs scoring six goals in the opener.

“It’s one game,” Nylander told reporters after the game.

“It’s nice to get six goals to start off a series but, I mean, it’s on to the next game. They’re going to come out hotter.”

Game 1 history

In the four previous Battle of Ontario series, the winner of Game 1 has gone on to win the series twice.

The Senators won Game 1 in 2002 and 2004, while the Maple Leafs won Game 1 in 2000 and 2001.

Six goals

The six goals scored by the Maple Leafs in Game 1 is the most goals scored by a team in the five Battle of Ontario playoff series.

The Senators scored five goals in Game 1 of the 2002 playoff series. The Maple Leafs scored five goals in Game 2 of the 2000 series.

6-2 Maple Leafs

Matthew Knies scores on the powerplay to give the Maple Leafs a 6-2 lead. Knies scores eight seconds into the powerplay after Drake Batherson picked up a penalty.

Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner pick up the assists. Matthews has two assists in Game 1, while Marner has a goal and two assists.

It’s the third powerplay goal of the night for the Leafs.

Leafs lead Senators 5-2

With 6:55 left in third period, the Maple Leafs continue to lead the Senators 5-2.

Drake Batherson takes his second penalty of the night and the sixth penalty for the Senators.

5-2 Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs answer 45 seconds later to make it 5-2.

Morgan Rielly with a shot from the blue line that deflects off Matthew Highmore’s glove and past Linus Ullmark.

Nick Robertson picks up the assist on Rielly’s goal.

4-2 Maple Leafs

Ridly Greig scores on a delayed penalty to give the Senators some life.

Michael Amadio and Shane Pinto with the assists on Greig’s first career playoff goal.

The Maple Leafs lead 4-2 with 16 minutes left in the third period.

4-1 Maple Leafs after 2 periods

The Maple Leafs lead the Senators 4-1 after the second period.

John Tavares and William Nylander score powerplay goals for the Maple Leafs in the middle period.

The Leafs will begin the third period with a powerplay after Drake Batherson took a tripping penalty with 12 seconds left.

The Senators are leading on the shot clock, 21-18. Senators also out hitting the Leafs 35-23.

Ding

Senators forward Drake Batherson hits the goal post.

It remains 4-1 Maple Leafs with 7:23 left in the second period.

Shots on goal in the second period favour Toronto 12-4 after the Senators outshot the Leafs 13-5 in the first period.

4-1 Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs capitalized on Senators penalties to make it 4-1 with 12:41 left in the second period.

William Nylander scores three seconds into a 5-3 for the Maple Leafs. John Tavares with the assist.

Senators forward Ridly Greig was off for cross-checking and Adam Gaudette was penalized for cross-checking.

3-1 Maple Leafs

John Tavares scores on the power play for the Maple Leafs.

The goal came seven seconds into the power play after Senators forward Tim Stutzle took a boarding penalty.

William Nylander and Mitch Marner with the assists for the Maple Leafs.

Maple Leafs lead 3-1 in the second period.

2-1 Leafs

Senators with some quality changes to open the second period.

Sens captain Brady Tkachuk stopped on a breakaway and Shane Pinto stopped point blank by Anthony Stolarz.

Leafs lead 2-1 with 16 minutes left in the second period.

Sens Mile

The Senators return to the Stanley Cup playoffs is good news for businesses in Ottawa.

Several bars on Sens Mile are packed with fans watching Game 1 on Easter Sunday.

2-1 Maple Leafs after the 1st period

The first period of the 2025 edition of the Battle of Ontario is in the books.

Leafs leading 2-1.

Shots on goal in the first period were 13 for the Senators and 5 for the Maple Leafs.

Senators on the board

Drake Batherson scores for the Senators with 3:42 left in the first period. Dylan Cozens and David Perron with the assists on the Senators first goal of the series.

Maple Leafs lead 2-1.

2-0 Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner makes it 2-0 for the Leafs.

Marner beats Sens goalie Linus Ullmark on a breakaway at 12:18 of the first period. Auston Matthews gets the assist for the Leafs.

The Leafs have scored on two of their first four shots of the game.

1-0 Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs open the scoring in the 2025 Battle of Ontario

Oliver Ekman-Larsson scores on a wrist shot from the slot at 12:52 of the first period. Scott Laughton and Calle Jarnkrok with the assists.

Maple Leafs lead 1-0.

Scoreless - 13:51 left in the first period

No score at the first television timeout.

Senators leading the shots on goal 3-1.

Game On!

The Battle of Ontario is underway, 21 years ago to the day the Maple Leafs eliminated the Senators in the 2004 playoffs.

You can listen to the game on TSN 1200.

ByWard Market

Senators fans are sitting on the outdoor patio at Lowertown Brewery in the ByWard Market for Game 1 of the Sens-Leafs series.

AJ arrived at the bar with a replica Stanley Cup.

“We’re going for the Cup,” AJ told CTV News at Six.

Starting goaltenders

The starting goaltenders for Game 1 are Anthony Stolarz for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Linus Ullmark for the Ottawa Senators.

Stolarz had a record this season of 21 wins and 8 losses, with a 2.14 goals-against average. Stolarz played in one career playoff game for the Florida Panthers in 2024.

Ullmark posted a record of 25 wins and 14 losses for the Senators this season with a goals-against average of 2.72. Ullmark has a career playoff record of three wins and six losses in nine career starts.

Maple Leafs Square

CTV News Toronto cameras captured the crowd in Maple Leaf Square outside Scotiabank Arena in the lead up to Game 1 of the Battle of Ontario.

The Maple Leafs are hosting a tailgate for the game.

There is no outdoor viewing party in Ottawa for Game 1 of the Senators-Maple Leafs series.

Last minute tickets – 6:20 p.m.

If you’re near Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, there are some tickets still available on the secondary markets for Game 1.

As of 6:20 p.m., the cheapest ticket available on Stubhub is $275 for Section 322.

Looking ahead to Game 3 in Ottawa on Thursday, the cheapest seat available on Stubhub is $461 for Section 326.

No mayor bet

It appears there will be no friendly wager on the Battle of Ontario between Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.

Sutcliffe’s office told CTV News Ottawa no mayor bet was placed ahead of Game 1, wanting the focus to be on the Senators and Maple Leafs players.

“It’s huge for the city,” mayor says

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says he will be visiting businesses on Elgin Street during Game 1 tonight, adding Senators playoff hockey is a “boost” for the community.

“It’s huge for the city. Just walking up and down Elgin Street right now and seeing so many people in their Sens jerseys,” Sutcliffe told CTV News at Six.

“This has been a really tough year so far, there’s been a lot of discouraging news, and I just feel this is just such a great outlet for Ottawa residents to have the Senators to cheer for – to have our team in the playoffs again after a long wait.

“It’s going to be great for local business.”

Sens Mile – 6 p.m.

Senators fans began arriving on Elgin Street ahead of Game 1.

“I’m so, so excited,” Stu told CTV News at Six at Lieutenant’s Pump. “It has been eight long, painful years I’ve been watching every game all those times. To finally have it, I couldn’t be more excited.”

Stu admits he’s a “delusional fan,” and he thinks the Senators can win the series.

“Enjoy this experience” - 5:15 p.m.

Sens captain Brady Tkachuk spoke with ESPN during the second intermission of the New Jersey Devils-Carolina Hurricanes game.

Tkachuk was asked about what will be said in the locker room ahead of the game.

“Enjoy this experience together and enjoy this experience with the City of Ottawa,” Tkachuk said. “It’s been eight years since we’ve been in the playoffs and it’s really going to take everybody and I’m looking forward to sharing this experience with them.”

Brady’s dad Keith Tkachuk played 1,201 games in the NHL and his brother Matthew Tkachuk won the Stanley Cup last year with the Florida Panthers. Brady was asked if he received any advice ahead of the playoffs.

“The biggest one is just enjoy every moment; the highs, the lows, whatever the playoff series entails for us – just enjoy it,” Tkachuk said.

“It’s just surreal that it’s here. I just can’t wait. It’s been a dream of mind since I was a kid.”

The arrival

The Ottawa Senators released a video of the club arriving at Scotiabank Arena ahead of the 7 p.m. game.

Sens playoff song

Ottawa singer Peter Joynt has produced a song for the Senators playoff run, called “Whoa Yeah” (Sens 2025 Playoff song). You can listen to it on YouTube.

Sens Mile 3:25 p.m.

Sunshine, Easter Sunday and a Senators playoff game day has Sens Mile busy on Sunday afternoon.

Several businesses have Sens flags flying on Elgin Street ahead of Game 1.

Game day preview

TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson previews Game 1 of the Sens-Leafs series.

“I can’t believe today’s the day”

Senators captain Brady Tkachuk spoke with reporters ahead of Game 1.

“I slept great. It was one of the best sleeps I’ve had in a long time,” Tkachuk said. “I can’t believe today’s the day.”

Tkachuk is making his playoff debut after 512 games with the Senators.

“It’s been a long time coming. All those times in the driveway, mini sticks, you think about scoring the game winner in the Stanley Cup playoffs, in a big game. To finally be here, it’s surreal and there’s so many people that have been in my life that all that credit goes to them.

“Everybody’s excited and it’s going to be awesome.”

Game Day skate - 11:55 a.m.

The Senators held a morning skate at Scotiabank Arena ahead of tonight’s game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs held a morning skate this morning. Rally towels on the seats at Scotiabank Arena have the slogan “Bring the Passion.”

Game 1 tickets

As of 10:30 a.m., there are still a few tickets available for Game 1 of the series tonight at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

According to Ticketmaster.ca, the cheapest seat available is $449.50 (including fees and taxes).

The cheapest ticket through the verified resale on Ticketmaster is $342 for section 317. On Stubhub, the cheapest seat for Game 1 in Toronto is $327 in section 319.

Senators-Maple Leafs series predictions

The Maple Leafs appear to be the popular pick heading into the seven-game series.

On ESPN.com, 20 of 25 experts pick the Maple Leafs to win the series. ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Sean McDonough picks the Senators in six games.

NBA Hall of Fame member and NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barley picked the Maple Leafs to beat the Senators.

TSN’s Darren Dreger, Frankie Corrado and Jeff O’Neill picked the Toronto Maple Leafs to make it to the Stanley Cup finals, with O’Neill picking Toronto to win the championship.

TSN’s James Duthie picked Tampa Bay to win the Stanley Cup.

Schedule

Here is a look at the playoff schedule for the Senators and Maple Leafs:

• Game 1: Sunday, April 20 at Toronto. 7 p.m.
• Game 2: Tuesday, April 22 at Toronto. 7:30 p.m.
• Game 3: Thursday, April 24 at Ottawa. 7 p.m.
• Game 4: Saturday, April 26 at Ottawa. 7 p.m.
• Game 5: Tuesday, April 29 at Toronto (if necessary)
• Game 6: Thursday, May 1 at Ottawa (if necessary)
• Game 7: Saturday, May 3 at Toronto (if necessary)

You can listen to all games on TSN 1200.

Battle of Ontario history

2024-25 season

• Nov. 12, 2024: Senators beat the Maple Leafs 3-0 in Toronto. Linus Ullmark made 27 saves for the Senators.
• Jan 25, 2025: Senators beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 in Ottawa. Shane Pinto scored the game winner.
• March 15, 2025: Senators beat the Maple Leafs 4-2 in Toronto. Claude Giroux scored the game winner for the Senators.

Playoffs

• 2000 playoffs: Maple Leafs beat the Senators 4-2 in the conference quarterfinals.
• 2001 playoffs: Maple Leafs beat the Senators 4-0 in the conference quarterfinals
• 2002 playoffs: Maple Leafs beat the Senators 4-3 in the conference semifinals
• 2004 playoffs: Maple Leafs beat the Senators 4-3 in the conference quarterfinals