There's no secret that this trophy is the hardest to capture in all of sports. Players from all 16 teams competing in this tournament will do whatever it takes to hoist Lord Stanley Cup. No matter the cost.
From getting black eyes, to losing teeth, to playing with broken bones, to playing with torn ligaments, to taking pucks to the face, to growing out their beards and many more things. That's just what they call playoff hockey.
The Ottawa Senators now begin their quest to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history since coming back to the NHL in the 1992-93 season. Their opening opponent in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs is an old rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Game 1 in Toronto has arrived for Sens-Leafs
The Senators will begin the 2025 playoffs on the road tonight at Scotiabank Arena for Game 1 of Round 1 against the Maple Leafs with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The Maple Leafs won the Atlantic Division to earn the right to have home ice advantage in the series.
The Senators are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2017. While core players on the roster not having playoff experience could be an issue, the Senators have shown they're not intimated by the Maple Leafs.
Over the past two seasons against the Maple Leafs, the Senators have won six of the last seven meetings. This season, the Senators swept the three-game season series with two of the wins coming in Toronto.
One Senator that needs to exercise his playoff demons is Linus Ullmark. In 10 career playoff games as a member of the Boston Bruins, Ullmark has a 3-6 record with a 3.59 goals against average and .887 save percentage.
The Maple Leafs won the Atlantic Division with 108 points with captain Auston Matthews leading the way, but the team has struggled to get over their playoff woes for years. The Maple Leafs have won one playoff series following the 2004 NHL Lockout.
For Mitch Marner and John Tavares, immense pressure will be on both of them as their careers could look different if the series doesn't go Toronto's way.
It's been 21 years since the Battle of Ontario has occurred in the playoffs. The Maple Leafs have history on their side with winning all four of the previous match-ups, but this Senators team is eager to get ride of that zero with recent success against the Maple Leafs.