The Ottawa Senators returned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017. In Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Senators got a rude awakening with losing 6-2.
Game 2 of the series is tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET in Toronto. With one game under their belt, the Senators can have a new mindset and game plan.
Losing Game 1 will always put a team in a tougher situation to win a playoff series. However, throughout franchise history, the Senators have shown trailing 0-2 in a series is more complicated.
Senators have never completed 0-2 series comeback
While some teams have come back from trailing 0-2 in a playoff series, it isn't exactly easy. Nine times the Senators have trailed 0-2 in a series in franchise history, and all nine times the Senators lost the series. That might be a scary stat for some.
With a stat like that, it makes Game 2 against Toronto tonight even more pivotal for Ottawa. It's clear Ottawa will have history against them if they fall in Game 2.
The first time the Senators fell 0-2 in a series was in the second round of the 1998 playoffs against the Washington Capitals. The Senators fell 0-2 in the series before winning Game 3, but then were shutout in both Game 4 and Game 5 to lose the series.
From 1999-2001, the Senators were swept in their series after trailing 0-2 in two of the three years. All three series losses in that three-year span came in round one. In 1999, the Buffalo Sabres swept the Senators. In 2000, the Senators won Game 3 and Game 4 to make it a best-of-three series, but the Maple Leafs won the next two games to take the series. In 2001, the Maple Leafs swept the Senators.
From 2006-2008, the Senators faced an 0-2 deficit in each year. In 2006, the Sabres eliminated the Senators in five games in the second round. In 2007, the Anaheim Ducks won Game 4 and Game 5 after losing Game 3 to capture the 2007 Stanley Cup against the Senators. In 2008, the Pittsburgh Penguins swept the Senators in round one the year after the Senators made the Stanley Cup Finals.
In 2013, the Penguins eliminated the Senators in five games. After winning Game 3 in overtime, the Senators lost Game 4 and Game 5 by four goals in each game. In 2015, the Montreal Canadiens eliminated the Senators in six games. The Senators did force a Game 6, but were shutout 2-0 in Game 6 to lose the series.
If the Senators are going to avoid trailing 0-2 against the Maple Leafs in in 2025, one area that needs improvement is goaltending. Linus Ullmark allowed in six goals against the Maple Leafs. It was the second time that Ullmark allowed in six goals in a playoff start.
As if Game 2 wasn't important for the Senators to tie up the series before heading home for Game 3, history shows that the Senators being 0-9 all-time when trailing 0-2 in a series adds more pressure on the team.