Toronto – Another day, another missed opportunity for Maple Leafs to close a series.
After a 4-0 senators victory in match 5, the Leafs still have an advance in the 3-2 series, but you may not know that they played at home. They had a hard time connecting the pass when it counted, could not perform with the washer deeply in the Senators area and generally looked tense.
At this point, we know history. Toronto’s level of talent prevails over that of the senators, but the series of fences of the permanent problems of the Leafs has surfaced again.
The heart of the Leafs of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly are now 1 to 12 years old when they are lucky to win a series.
Given the senators for having closed well defensively and obtaining high performance from defender Jake Sanderson and goalkeeper Linus Ullmark, who stopped 27 shots in impressive laundering.
Thomas Chabot and Dylan Cozens scored enormous goals in a tight match. Tim Stützle and Brady Tkachuk added empty threads.
Chabot marked the opening of the game on a point shot in the second period, obtaining a little help from a slight choice while Marner tried to join him on the defensive level.
Thomas Chabot opens the scoring in match 5 !! pic.twitter.com/ypwobgygwp
– Sportsnet (@Sportnetnet) April 30, 2025
Cozens opened an advance of 2-0 in the third period with a goal in disagreement.
The Leafs failed to generate a large part of anything, and the Senators Basin returns the series to Ottawa for match 6 on Thursday.
They planted seeds in the Maple Leafs after following 3-0 in the series. It’s spring in Toronto.
Here are some take -out dishes:
Ullmark laundering
Ullmark tends to increase throughout this series. While the senses had trouble getting on the net, they needed Ullmark to remain stable. It was perfect Tuesday. Ottawa finished the first period with three shots, practically unable to generate chances in the middle of the ice. Ullmark, particularly clear when the leafs had their first power game, started its signs in the first period.
He continued in the second period, when Ullmark benefited from a tight defensive game. A part that stands out in particular? Nikolas MatinPalo and David Perron rushed to break a chance by Steven Lorentz on what seemed to be a two-one-me.
Stolarz sends Lorentz on a 2 against 0
He’s beating Ullmark but the Perron stick facelift stops luck pic.twitter.com/hgxuypwykm
– Omar (@tictactomar) April 30, 2025
Ullmark even made his best feeling Anthony Stolarz when he became physical with Marner, dropping the leafs down.
“It simply shows what is our team identity, just resilience,” said Tkachuk about Ullmark. “It starts with him. He is a leader in this way. It just shows, our back is against the wall, his real me comes out and his confidence. It gives us so much confidence in front of him.”
The senses needed Ullmark to be its best. They needed him to steal a match almost. This happened in match 5, and the series returns to Ottawa accordingly. – McKenzie
Tense team, tense atmosphere
Shift After Shift, the local team seemed stressed and played like her too. To their best, leafs can wait through neutral and offensive areas with ease. On Tuesday, they made upset and undecided games with the washer.
When they approached the lens, they seemed to think too much. Lorentz’s decision to skate in Ullmark on the aforementioned assessment, instead of passing or pulling the washer, was a clear example of an undecided game.
And, of course, over the game and that the leafs could not find the back of the net, Scotiabank Arena has tightened. A noisy crowd after the washer has become silent. The writing on the wall has become clearer at each quarter of work. Ohors heard half the third period after the Leafs authorized the second goal.
It is a Leafs team that had the chance to change the story around them on the ice at home. They did not do it. They will try again in Ottawa on Thursday.
Leafs coach Craig Berube transmitted a simple message to his team Leafs after the match: “Stay with that. We are up 3-2 in the series.
“It’s hockey in playoffs. There are a lot of ups and downs,” added Berube. “We must remain composed and stay ready.” – Kloke
Sanderson’s domination
Sanderson was the best defender of one or the other team on Tuesday. A night when the senses offensive does not generate much, Sanderson increased his game on the defensive. He broke the games on the penalty and pushed the advantages opposed to the perimeter.
Marner and Matthews particularly fought with Sanderson. Their Corsi ratings were each less than 50% with Sanderson on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick. The rate of Matthews oscillated below 30% for games of the match, while Marner had only a share of an expected objective of 0.24 with him on the ice. At the end of the game, Sanderson led all the defenders of meaning in ice.
His partner, Artem Zub, with seven shooting blocks, also deserves a little love.
In fact, many meaning players deserve the merit of their defense, especially on the PK.
Dylan Cozens scores in digital disadvantage pic.twitter.com/axcntgixsy
– Omar (@tictactomar) April 30, 2025
The senses fought with the power play of the leafs in the first parts of this series. Since match 4, the Leafs are 0 for 7 with the advantage of man. When Ridly Greig suffered a third -time penalty, he looked unpleasant for the senses. But then Adam Gaudette precipitated the ice and fed Cozens for a goal in disagreement – the second of the senators in as many games. The leafs have not recovered. – McKenzie
The leaf nucleus is short
Again, stop us if you’ve heard that: in a game that was counting, the leafs stars have not taken over. It is not rocket science. Any team that is built at the top with some of the best offensive weapons in the League needs these weapons to shoot the biggest games.
But Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares and Rielly have set up a large total of zero points in match 5. It is unacceptable.
The best leaf players were likely to convert and take action to put this series in bed. But the lack of execution is disturbing. And at this stage of the series, obtaining chances and chances alone is not something of which this nucleus should be proud.
After the match, Stolarz called his teammates “Snakebitten”.
The power game of the formerly white leafs has also cooled. The Leafs received a gift when Greig took an unnecessary maintenance penalty at the start of the third period. They returned this gift by authorizing a short -term goal.
“I did not think that our power game was quite direct tonight,” said Berube.
Not good enough to win a match. And now it is worth wondering if it’s good enough to win a series against a joker team. – Kloke
(Photo: Kevin Sousa / NHLI via Getty Images)
