12 players penalized as all hell breaks loose at the end of Game 1.
Things turn ugly between the Maple Leafs and Senators with the game out of reach late in the third period.
What a finish to this one.
On Sunday night the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off their opening round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals and it was a convincing victory on the part of the Maple Leafs who took this one by a final score of 6-2. With the game so far out of reach in the third period however the Senators were determined to send a message in an attempt to set the tone for Game 2.
This would result in all hell breaking loose in the final seconds of the game, resulting in 12 players from both teams being penalized, effectively taking them out of the game at that point. It made for quite an amusing scene when the call was announced to the fans in attendance at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
It was no surprise that the officials on the ice chose to clean house given the fact that they had struggled to maintain control of things just seconds earlier. With less than a minute left to go in the game it was clear that the officials were trying to turn down the temperature before things truly got out of hand.
This is of course only Game 1 of this series and I suspect that we are going to see plenty more of this on the ice between these two bitter rivals before we’ve determined a winner.
Brady Tkachuk’s Comments Signal Trouble for Leafs in Playoff Opener
Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk has made it clear he is going to be putting the pressure on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Heading into a highly anticipated first round playoff matchup in the ‘Battle of Ontario’ between the rival Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, Tkachuk already in playoff mode against their local rivals.
Tkachuk, one of the top power forwards in the National Hockey League, has no fear heading into the matchup against Toronto, telling reporters he “slept great” last night, now ready and excited to get the playoffs underway.
Slept great. It was one of the best sleeps I’ve had in a long time, so yeah, it was just, wake up today. Can’t believe today’s the day
When asked what it meant to be in the playoffs for the first time in the NHL, Tkachuk said it was “a long time coming”.
Tkachuk is playing his first playoff game in his NHL career in his seventh season, a wait he isn’t taking for granted and ready to pounce.
Tkachuk looks to match the bragging rights against older brother Matthew, who won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Florida Panthers last season.
Florida’s cup winning team is represented between both sides, with Ottawa having Nick Cousins in the lineup, Toronto having three winners in Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Anthony Stolarz, & Steven Lorentz on the playoff roster.
Tkachuk, 25, had 29 goals, 26 assists, & 55 points in 72 games this season for the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators captain will square off against Toronto on the Sens’ first line, with Claude Giroux at right wing and Tim Stützle at center.
Ottawa has not made the NHL playoffs since 2017, where the Leafs first began a continued nine-year streak of making the postseason.
The Battle of Ontario is sure to be a series that not only will add to the intense rivalry these two teams have, but make the next seven games (if needed) much watch hockey.
