Ottawa Senators stay alive with 4-3 OT victory in Game 4 of Battle of Ontario

Ottawa Senators’ Tim Stutzle (18) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during first period NHL playoff action in Ottawa, Saturday, April 26, 2025. Photo by Adrian Wyld /THE CANADIAN PRESSArticle content

SENATORS, LEAFS 3 (OT)

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LEAFS LEAD SERIES 3-1

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The Ottawa Senators are alive and kicking in the Battle of Ontario.

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The third time was a charm for the Senators.

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They dug deep and kept their season alive with a dramatic 4-3 overtime victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs to cut the first-round series lead to 3-1 in Game 4 in front of 19,094 on Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.

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This was the third consecutive game in the series that went OT, and defenceman Jake Sanderson played the role of hero as he scored from the point to secure the win at 17:42.

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“Anyone who thinks this is going to be easy. It’s not,” said coach Travis Green. “It’s going to be hard. Could we be sitting here in a different position? Yeah, we could be. Our guys know that, but they’re not going to go away.

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“You know what, go win another game and see what happens.”

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Drake Batherson was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking with 15:21 left in the first OT, but the Senators were able to kill it off.

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“We just had to keep our foot on the pedal,” said Sanderson. “We had that big kill. That just created momentum for us and positivity. It worked out.”

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David Perron, playing in his 108th playoff game, stepped up by beating Anthony Stolarz with 12:28 left in the third period to give the club a much-needed 3-2 lead.

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That didn’t last long as Toronto’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored his second of the series to tie this up 3-3 with 5:29 left in the third to beat goaltender Linus Ullmark, who had made some huge stops.

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Shane Pinto and Tim Stutzle also scored for the Senators in regulation.

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The Senators entered this game with a 2-3 record in Game 4 when trailing a series 3-0. Game 5 in this series is set for Tuesday night in Toronto.

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“We’re definitely going to enjoy this one, but we know what’s coming,” said captain Brady Tkachuk. “We know it’s going to be the biggest, hardest game, and we’re expecting their absolute best. We’re going to have to play our best to give ourselves a chance to win.

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“It’s just a relief. What a goal. What a timely goal. I can’t describe it. To do it in front of this unbelievable fan base it was special.”

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The last time the Senators lost four straight in the first round was 2008 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Leafs were trying to complete their first sweep since 2001 when they knocked Ottawa out of the playoffs.