Maple Leafs eliminate Senators to advance, will face Panthers in second round of playoffs

For just the second time in over two decades, the Toronto Maple Leafs have won a playoff series.

With a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 6 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals, the Maple Leafs have punched their ticket to the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, winning the series 4-2.

It sets up a matchup between the Maple Leafs and the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, in the division final.

The Maple Leafs got the job done in enemy territory, with the Core Four, who had been criticized for their inefficiency in the last two games, stepping up on Thursday night. Auston Matthews scored first, with William Nylander putting Toronto up by two early in the middle stanza.

The Senators climbed their way back, with Brady Tkachuk and David Perron scoring to tie the game. However, with just a few minutes remaining in regulation, Max Pacioretty scored his first of the playoffs, which ended up being the game-winning goal.

Nylander sealed the game with an empty-netter, marking the second time in three years the Leafs have won a playoff series.

Toronto’s path to Round 2 wasn’t easy, or at least they didn’t make it as such. In the first postseason edition of The Battle of Ontario since 2004, the Maple Leafs burst out to a 3-0 series lead. However, with the pressure of clinching a series win on their shoulders, the team struggled to find the formula for success that had worked for them early on against the Sens. Back-to-back wins for Ottawa helped the seed of doubt blossom, but the Leafs were able to dispel some demons with their clinching victory.

Now, the Leafs are granted the opportunity to prove themselves against a Panthers team that knocked them out in the second round in 2023 on their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Toronto hasn’t advanced to the Eastern Conference Final since 2002.

The start date of this year’s matchup between the Cats and Leafs is yet to be determined.