The Ottawa Senators and their fan base waited for eight years of playoff hockey and they finally got it. They lost 6-2 at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening game of the first round series Sunday night.
This is the first playoff game in the careers of players like Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and Thomas Chabot. That certainly isn’t the case for the Maple Leafs, whose name has a rich playoff experience (although a lot of negatives).
While the Senators do bring the intensity and effort needed to win in the playoffs, they don’t necessarily guide this in the most productive way and show it at multiple points.
Senators are fined too much
Part of the Senator’s game plan was obviously to drag the game into the dirt, body, and attempt to inspire the Maple Leafs to accept a retaliatory fine. While this may be against a younger, less popular team, Maple Leaf seems to have no interest in it and instead relies on trying to play between the whistles.
The senator pushed it too far, which made the power of the maple six poles work. In the early stages of the second phase, a major turning point occurred. When John Tavares’s Ridly Greig’s cross check made the cross heck on the leaves hit a tense game.
Greig wants to stand up and try to get under the skin of his opponent, which is understandable, but the drama is reckless and potentially dangerous, and the cross check catches Tavares. Not long after, Adam Gaudette cross-checked Auston Matthews from behind, making Leafs five to three, and they immediately digitized that and never looked back.
While it could be considered as a senator has some tough whistle, a case they could raise on some phone calls, they would have to remain disciplined rather than give officials the opportunity to make these decisions.
Maple Leaf Show Playoff Experience
By contrast, the Leafs played playoff hockey despite the Senators looking like a team that they thought was playoff hockey. When things get messy, most importantly, they successfully exercise the line when needed, and stay calm.
It showed 36 points on the scoreboard and on the total number of free throw minutes, with Ottawa having only 16 in Toronto.
“In awe of us keeping discipline,” said Maple Leafs goalkeeper Anthony Stolarz. “The guys know what the physical condition of the playoffs are and how you keep calm. So our guys are worth mentioning tonight.”
Related: Senator Crying, Maple Leaf Response: The second game becomes fun
Not only did this continue to return the Maple Leafs’ hot power to work, it also lifted the Senate’s star out of the rhythm, both Tkachuk and Stutzle played for less than 18 minutes, far from being ideal for a playoff game.
Senators can learn a lesson from their opponents, who once wore shoes, making them less able to calm. Many times in their playoffs have gone by, Maple Leafs have done something stupid in revenge, resulting in a timeout or a fight against the force at a critical moment. It seems to be based on the first game, those days behind them.
“It will definitely help,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of the experience. “(Know) what to expect, and how to make your team make up, calm down, talk about what’s coming up in the game and series, turn toward, all of that stuff.”
Senators can learn to move forward
Senators will need to curb this behavior quickly or the series may rush to catch up. Keeping the game evenly strong will be a key area for them, one of the few positive gains from the first game.
“We had to play a longer five-on-five and avoided out-of-the-box,” said Senator head coach Travis Green. “But once again I think we did something nice and it looks really good.”
The Senator’s top line has a significant advantage in five-on-five shot attempts and is approaching the game before the free throw is heading towards the game in the other direction.
They are a much better team than they showed on Sunday night, and Leaf would foolishly not expect some form of impetus for the second game. They need to hold their breath and go back to the drawing board to find a better way to take advantage of the shortcomings of the leaves. If the senator doesn’t clean up his actions and keep filming his actions, the series may be much shorter than anyone else.
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