The Ottawa Senators have a primary strategy on Tuesday evening in Game 2 in its first playoff series with values Toronto Maple Leafs: Stay Out of the Penalty Box.
The Senators allowed three Power-Play goals on Sunday while they fell 6-2 to Maple Leafs in game 1. Invoiced as the battle at Ontario, it will not be much of a duel about the Maple Leafs continues to have a man’s advantage.
“We definitely have to stay out of the box. I’ll say so,” said Senator Coach Travis Green. “I thought there were a couple of conversations that they did a good job of selling.”
Senators Captain Brady Tkachuk said: “It is clear as day the question was. We took too many penalties, they scored and that is the game. We have to be more disciplined. So it’s on us.”
Discipline, Poise and good goalkeeper were three qualities that Toronto showed in game 1, while Ottawa did not.
The senators admitted to some nerves in early play on Sunday. They have fewer players with an experience after the season, and it showed when Toronto took a 2-0 lead at 12:18 of the first period on a goal from Mitch Marner.
“I thought the first five, 10 minutes, we were a little nervous, which can probably be expected,” Green said. “We have many guys who haven’t played in the playoffs, but five-five, I liked our game.”
Toronto coach Craig Berube hopes to lean into his team’s confident approach.
“It’s important to have calm,” Berube said. “There are many ups and downs, many things go wrong, things go right and discipline is very important.”
Ottawa lowered the lead to 2-1 before the end of the first period before Toronto Power Play took over by going 3-for-6. Ottawa was 0-for-2 on its power-play chances.
“The Power game has been rolling for a while,” Berube said. “They do a good job. For me, it’s all about getting pucks to the net with numbers online.”
The senators will also need better in the net after Linus Ullmark was played by Maple Leafs Anthony Stolarz, who made his first career the playoffs.
Ullmark can be a key if the senators are to take advantage of the lessons from game 1.
“Kudos to us to stay disciplined,” said Stolarz, who made 31 rescues. “Guys know how physical playoffs are and how you have to keep your calm. So our guys deserve a lot of credit to do it.”
Stolarz, who got the lead from training on Monday, may have changed game 1 when he stopped Tkachuk on a break a minute into the second period. The chance came after the Toronto defender Morgan Rielly’s giveaway, with Save who preserved a one-goal.
Ullmark ended by making 18 rescues in game 1.
“There are some things (to work with),” Ullmark said. “There is a high skilled team on the other side. We just have to focus on the next. It’s just a game.”
Marner, who has been criticized for his game after the season earlier, had one goal and two assists in the opener.
“Just to start with a win is good, but we have to look forward to the next,” Marner said. “It will be even harder to win next and we will look to find out what we can even be a little better Tuesday.”
-Field level media
