Jake Sanderson made sure the Ottawa Senators wouldn't be swept by the Toronto Maple Leafs in their Eastern Conference First Round series.
Sanderson's long shot through traffic found the back of the net at 17:42 of overtime to give the Senators a 4-3 win at Canadian Tire Centre in Game 4 on Saturday night. It was Ottawa's first playoff win since Game 6 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final – and the first time in 25 games since entering the NHL in 1992 that the Senators won a game when facing elimination.
Ottawa had the sellout crowd of 19,094 roaring with approval as a power-play goal by Tim Stutzle and a shorthanded breakaway goal by Shane Pinto gave the Senators a 2-0 lead 14:11 into the game.
But the Maple Leafs changed the momentum when John Tavares scored with 55 seconds left in the period to cut Ottawa's lead to 2-1. Toronto then tied the game 2-2 at 10:12 of the second when Matthew Knies beat Linus Ullmark on a breakaway.
The Leafs, seeking their first sweep in a best-of-7 series since blanking the Senators in the first round in 2001, outshot Ottawa 9-1 in the middle period. They continued their domination into the third period until David Perron deflected Artem Zub's pass behind Anthony Solarz at 7:32. But the 3-2 lead didn't last long; defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson beat Ullmark from the slot with 5:29 remaining.
Toronto had a huge opportunity to close out the series when Drake Batherson was assessed a four-minute penalty for high-sticking at 4:37 of overtime. However, Ullmark made five saves to keep the score tied, and the Senators began to control play. Sanderson won it when he raced off the bench to keep the puck in at the left point and took a nothing-special shot that Stolarz never saw because he was screened by a teammate.
The Leafs, who won Games 2 and 3 in overtime, will try to close out the Senators in Game 5 at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday. A win would give them their fifth series victory against Ottawa in as many tries.
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The Sens and their fans had to be nervous when the puck dropped for overtime. Toronto had won the previous two games in OT, with neither victory taking more than 3:09 of the extra period. With the Leafs dominating the early stages of overtime, the four-minute power play resulting from Batherson's penalty looked like it would be the end of the line for a team making its first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017.
Instead, Ullmark and Ottawa's penalty-killers did the job (with a little help from the post that Toronto captain Auston Matthews hit), giving the offense an opportunity. Ottawa dominated play from then on, limiting Toronto to one shot on goal over the next nine-plus minutes before Sanderson's game-winner.
Only four of the 211 teams that have trailed 3-0 in a playoff series have come back to win. The Senators may not become No. 5, but at least they're still alive.
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Ullmark was outplayed by Stolarz through the first three games, allowing 12 goals – including a pair of overtime winners. Meanwhile, Stolarz was proving why coach Craig Berube gave him the starter's job by allowing two goals in each of the first three games.
But with his team's season on the line, Ullmark showed why the Senators signed him to a five-year contract last summer by out playing Stolarz for the first time in the series.
Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
Toronto outshot Ottawa 34-21, including 17-4 in the second and third periods. The Leafs had plenty of Grade A chances after the first period but couldn't get the go-ahead goal past him. Meanwhile, Stolarz allowed four goals on 21 shots and wound up out of position on Sanderson's game-winner.
With the season on the line, the Senators finally got a big night from their special teams, especially the penalty-killers.
The Maple Leafs were 5-for-9 on the power play through the first three games. But they came up empty on four opportunities in Game 4, including the double minor in overtime. Ottawa also scored the first shorthanded goal of the series when Pinto beat Stolarz on a breakaway.
The Senators had just two power-play opportunities. But they cashed in on the first one, with Stutzle scoring the first playoff goal of his career after Toronto's Max Domi took an undisciplined roughing penalty on a face-off.
