Sanderson scores winner, Sens top Leafs in OT to cut Battle of Ontario deficit to 3-1

Ottawa Senators' Adam Gaudette (81) looks for a shot on Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) as Brandon Carlo (25) defends, during second period NHL playoff action in Ottawa, on Saturday, April 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA — Travis Green could let out a sigh of relief — if only for a moment.

The Senators head coach had just watched his team survive a four-minute Maple Leafs power play in overtime with the season on the line.

That bullet dodged after a determined penalty kill, along with a little bit of luck, Ottawa recalibrated with its back firmly pressed against the wall on a tense Saturday night.

Jake Sanderson then ensured the group still has a pulse in the Battle of Ontario.

The defenceman scored his first career playoff goal at 17:42 of OT as the Senators survived a blown 2-0 lead to top Toronto 4-3 and stay alive in the teams' first-round series.

"Crazy atmosphere," Sanderson said. "It's pretty awesome."

The 22-year-old in his third NHL season fired a shot from the side boards through a screen that kept his team breathing and set the towel-waving Canadian Centre Tire crowd into a frenzy.

"What a timely goal," Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said following the organization's first playoff victory since the 2017 Eastern Conference final. "I honestly can't even really describe the feeling. It happened so fast. To do it in front of this unbelievable fan base that's sticking with us, and this hard road ahead of us, it's special."

The Leafs still hold a 3-1 advantage in the best-of-seven matchup. Game 5 goes Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena.

Tim Stutzle, Shane Pinto and David Perron had the other goals for the Senators. Linus Ullmark made 31 saves, including a couple massive efforts in OT. Sanderson added an assist for a two-point performance.

John Tavares, Matthew Knies and Oliver Ekman-Larsson replied for the Leafs. Anthony Stolarz stopped 17 shots. William Nylander chipped in two assists.

"Our special teams could have been a little bit better," Knies said. "In overtime, it's going to be a bounce or a dirty goal. It went their way."

Only four NHL teams have come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series — the 1942 Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders, the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2014 Los Angeles Kings.

The Senators fell 6-2 in the opener before suffering back-to-back 3-2 OT losses to find themselves in a deep hole.

"It's easy to crack under pressure, especially the situation that we're in," Tkachuk said. "But I think it shows the resilience, the care, the character in this room that we'll do whatever it takes."

Green's message to his team after regulation was simple.

"You don't want to have regrets," said the first-year Senators coach. "If you don't win it all and you end up losing, play with no regrets, play confident."

Toronto, which entered on an eight-game winning streak dating back to the regular season, beat Ottawa four times in five playoffs in the early 2000s, including an opening-round sweep in 2001.

The Senators survived that OT double-minor — Leafs captain Auston Matthews hit the post on a scramble — after winger Drake Batherson high-sticked defenceman Chris Tanev.

"Any time a team like Toronto gets a four-minute power play, you know you're in one," Green said. "A lot of credit to our penalty kill. They really got the job done. Gutsy effort."

Perron broke a 2-2 tie at 7:32 of the third on a terrific feed from Artem Zub after some sustained pressure.

The Leafs pushed as the clock ticked down, and Ekman-Larsson buried his second with 5:29 left in regulation off a cross-ice pass from Nylander.

Back in the playoffs following a long rebuild, the Senators opened the scoring on a power play at 9:03 of the first after Leafs winger Max Domi took an undisciplined roughing penalty on a faceoff where he punched Pinto before the puck was dropped.

Stutzle took advantage by blasting a one-timer past Stolarz's glove at the near post.

Toronto went to the man advantage later in the period, but Ottawa doubled its lead with a short-handed goal when Pinto chipped the puck past Mitch Marner and fired a shot that rattled around Stolarz's five-hole and trickled over the goal line at 14:11.

The Leafs got on the board with 54.4 seconds left in the first when Tavares, who took an elbow from Zub in OT and briefly left for the locker room, redirected his third off a slick setup from Nylander.

Tkachuk hit the post early in the second before the visitors got even.

Knies beat Zub to a loose puck and then fought off the blueliner before moving in alone on Ullmark and firing his third upstairs at 10:12 in a low-event period where the home side registered a single shot on target.

That set the stage for a knife-edged third and a dramatic finish.

"Now we move and we try and keep building our game," Perron said. "Keep building a little bit of pressure over there."

The Senators get at least a few more days together.

"Go win another game," Green said. "And see what happens."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2025.

Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press