Leafs best Senators to set up Round 2 series vs. Panthers
The Toronto Maple Leafs advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in Thursday's Game 6.
Veteran forward Max Pacioretty scored the game-winning goal with under six minutes left in the third period - his first tally since Dec. 20.
William Nylander, celebrating his 29th birthday, added an empty-netter in the final minute for his second goal of the game to seal the victory.
The Maple Leafs will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in Round 2.
"It feels great," Leafs captain Auston Matthews told Sportsnet's Kyle Bukauskas. "We came into this game, a lot of noise on the outside, but I think just the belief in this group, in this room, the belief in one another to just go out there and play shift-by-shift. Proud of the guys. One step, big game tonight, and keep moving forward."
Toronto had taken a 3-0 series lead, but Ottawa clawed back with consecutive wins to force Game 6.
"It's playoffs, so there's gonna be ups and downs," Matthews added. "There's gonna be different swings and stuff like that. Just the belief in the room, doing it for one another, and not focusing on anything else but that. Feels good to get this one and onto the next."
Matthews also praised the Senators and their captain, Brady Tkachuk.
"I just told him (in the handshake line) he's a great competitor, a great leader," Matthews said. "They're gonna be back. They're a good team, a young team. I got nothing but respect for him. I've known him a long time. He's a great person and a great player."
Tkachuk was emotional after the loss, with the 25-year-old completing his first taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"It's devastating," Tkachuk said, according to TSN 1200. "Tough pill to swallow right now. We didn't get the job done, but we're going to take these lessons and be that much better because of it."
This marks just the second playoff series win for the Maple Leafs since their postseason streak began in 2017. They defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games in the 2023 first round before losing to the Panthers in five games in Round 2.
Toronto improves to 5-0 in playoff series against its in-province rivals.