Zak MacMillan: Battle of Ontario Prediction

Leafs in 5.. This years team feels different

Leafs in 5.. This years team feels different
- Azuredoom

leaf in 4 is they go to the next gear, sens in 6 or 7 if they dont, OTT was playing at their max vs the last few teams before they clinched, they dont have another gear to go up to.

Sens take game 1. Toronto win in 6.

Senators in 4.

Both teams have excellent home records this season. So with home ice, Toronto should win this series.

Sens will rely heavily on Tkachuk, Stutzle, Ullmark, and Sanderson if they are to win. Giroux, Couzens, and Chabot will be role players.

Leafs chances rely on Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares, and Stolarz/Woll. Rielly, Tanev, Knies, & Carlo will be role players.

Tkachuk plays with emotion but seems to have trouble controlling it. If Leaf’s can get under his skin and off his game, to me that has a far greater detrimental effect on the Sens as a whole than if a Senator were to do the same to Matthews. Matthews has been initiated with the likes of Marchand, Hagel, Bennet, and Matthew Tkatchuk to name a few so he’s likely to be more prepared. Plus the Leafs have done well this season despite Matthews’s troubles. Basically Leaf’s have more talent/depth if top players are canceled out.

This series goes 7 games if Sens win at least 1 of the first two games in Toronto. It’s over in 5/6 if the Leafs win the first two.

Both teams have excellent home records this season. So with home ice, Toronto should win this series.

Sens will rely heavily on Tkachuk, Stutzle, Ullmark, and Sanderson if they are to win. Giroux, Couzens, and Chabot will be role players.

Leafs chances rely on Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares, and Stolarz/Woll. Rielly, Tanev, Knies, & Carlo will be role players.

Tkachuk plays with emotion but seems to have trouble controlling it. If Leaf’s can get under his skin and off his game, to me that has a far greater detrimental effect on the Sens as a whole than if a Senator were to do the same to Matthews. Matthews has been initiated with the likes of Marchand, Hagel, Bennet, and Matthew Tkatchuk to name a few so he’s likely to be more prepared. Plus the Leafs have done well this season despite Matthews’s troubles.

This series goes 7 games if Sens win at least 1 of the first two games in Toronto. It’s over in 5/6 if the Leafs win the first two.
- Turnitaround

Senators in 6

Senators in 6
- Reubenkincade

That’s fair.

Tbh before the season began I expected the Leafs to be fighting for a WC spot with Ottawa, Washington and Detroit. With exception of Detroit the others have either met or exceeded expectations through the regular season.

I think Tampa will best Florida. So if Ottawa beats Toronto then Tampa has a really easy path to the SC final. With Thompsons health and how Washington has played in the last 15 games, the Leafs are the only team that looks like they match up well to Tampa.

leaf in 4 is they go to the next gear, sens in 6 or 7 if they dont, OTT was playing at their max vs the last few teams before they clinched, they dont have another gear to go up to.
- Mithos

The Leafs are 100% the favorite. But...

The Sens absolutely have another gear. The question is if they able to get there, and if it will be enough to beat Toronto if they are on top of their game.

Specifically if we get to see the Brady that was in the 4 nations tourney. I also think Stutzle is capable of more, and if he just shoots the puck more.

Either way, it should be fun as this is a young team in its first playoffs. It's supposed to be a step in the direction of more consistent success going forward. Sanderson may already be the best defenceman in this series and he;s only 22.

Leafs in 5.. This years team feels different
- Azuredoom

Haven’t heard that before….

Coin flip. Sens in 7. Im honestly surprised at how little respect leaf fans and media are giving Ottawa. Leafs are the favorite, but Ottawa matches well against them. This isn’t 2002 Sens, if anything, the roles are reversed.

That said, the blogger is right, Ullmark is going to have to steal one for this to work out. I think Sens win game one and panic sets in in leaf land.

This idea that the Sens don’t have another gear, how would you even know? Because they played well in the second half? I think we’re all excited to what Tkachuk has in the tank for this series.

Looks like Green is icing the full playoff line up tonight against the Carolina AHLers that played Montreal last night

Fingers crossed nobody gets hurt.

Battle of Ontario - 2000s

I will never forget what these days were like. A group of maybe 8 friends, 3-4 hardcore leafs fans (because of their parents mostly) and rest of us Sens fans. Loosing those series was gut wrenching as a kid. I hated it big time!

I still remember someone joked that Lalime stepped in front of a bus but it went through his legs.

Today

Having said that, there is such a contrast as mentioned above. The Sens were on the best regular season teams in the NHL (just like Toronto now). They were full of skill but had yet to prove themselves in the playoffs (just like Toronto now). The Leafs were clearly the underdog and now expected to win despite having a good mix of veterans and young players (just like Ottawa now). All the pressure was on Ottawa to win back then (just like Toronto now). Even if the Sens lost in 6 or 7 games, yeah we would hear about it, but the Sens have already had a successful seasons for where they are.

All the pressure is on Toronto win here, as their core 4 can't afford to lose again. Add to that it's against a team that is now FLA, BOS, or TBL..... you can then add OTT to the list of CBJ and MTL of upsets that knocked them out.

it really is Knies, Domi and Robertson that will push this soft bunch forward...

yeah sure have smoke another joint!

ha ha toughness from Tkachuk, only if the players back is turned or is smaller (4 nations) and then both Tkachuk's were injured by smaller players.

can Ottawa win a game yes, maybe two (regular season means nothing never has)

Sens are better in goal. This is the playoffs.

Sens are better in goal. This is the playoffs.
- spatso

can you show this seasons stats that back this up?

or are we going with who was good before instead of who is better now?

yeah sure have smoke another joint!

ha ha toughness from Tkachuk, only if the players back is turned or is smaller (4 nations) and then both Tkachuk's were injured by smaller players.

can Ottawa win a game yes, maybe two (regular season means nothing never has)
- monkman1967

The Leafs aren't as soft as people think...these arent the Dubas days.

Sens are better in goal. This is the playoffs.
- spatso

There's barely a single stat where Ulmark is better than Stollarz, except for maybe wins. And that's only because our other goalie is really good too

Sens are better in goal. This is the playoffs.
- spatso

Ullmark has not been good in the playoffs, and that was with a vastly, colossal better team in BOS. new team, new playoffs anything can happen but ya Leafs in 4, WSH in 4, 2 canadian team gone in the first week of the playoffs

Looks like Green is icing the full playoff line up tonight against the Carolina AHLers that played Montreal last night

Fingers crossed nobody gets hurt.
- Octavarium

i would have rested Zub and Jensen and maybe Giroux again, both the Ds have had injury problems and Giroux is not young anymore and frankly if Brady is not 100% he should not play.

Leafs in 5. Leafs have become a good shutdown team. They have tremendous goaltending and can roll 4 lines. They're healthy and have an axe to grind. Knies will cancel Brady's aggression. It will be a close series in regards to goals.

i would have rested Zub and Jensen and maybe Giroux again, both the Ds have had injury problems and Giroux is not young anymore and frankly if Brady is not 100% he should not play.
- Mithos

Man, With your exceptional knowledge of hockey ops and impeccable foresight, not to mention insight into the game, how have you not been hired to run a team yet? Maybe team president? At the very least a special assistant to the gm?

This is a series between 2 huge hockey rivals (and fanbase rivals) with a great deal of history that is great for the game....you are a supposed sens fan....yet the LEAFS fans who come into this chat are more level about things than you are when it comes to Ottawa. Just quit it Eyore, you don't like hockey, you just like to complain, get a therapist to work out all that teenage style angst, the Leafs fans in here can chirp us themselves just fine, more fun that way too.