Senators Head Into Playoffs At Carolina After Another Victory Over Toronto

(Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images)

The Ottawa Senators polished off their 2025-26 NHL regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night at Canadian Tire Centre. The game meant nothing in the standings, but as any Senators fan will tell you, there’s never a bad time to beat the Leafs.

Drake Batherson, Warren Foegele, Dylan Cozens had the goals for Ottawa, while Claude Giroux added two assists and James Reimer made 19 saves. The Senators went 2-for-3 on the power play and outshot the Leafs, 38-20.

The Senators got the victory, despite resting five of their top players, including Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, Michael Amadio, Thomas Chabot, and Jake Sanderson.

They also had nothing to play for.

“I think since we found out who we’re playing in the first round, most of us are just thinking about that, to be honest,” Batherson said. “Obviously, you want to go out there and play well, but it’s tough when you know this weekend you’re playing Game 1.”

William Nylander had the lone goal for Toronto, pulling the Leafs within one midway through the third before Cozens sealed it with an empty-netter on a 2 on 0. He dished the puck off to Shane Pinto to score on the empty net, but Pinto gave it right back to him.

The Senators finish the regular season with 99 points. The last time they hit that mark was 2015, the year of the famous Hamburglar run. The last time they surpassed the 99-point mark was in 2007, when they advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup Final for the only time in their history so far.

Despite missing the final two games, Stützle led the team offensively with 34 goals, 49 assists, and 83 points. Having just turned 24 in January, he's only now entering his prime.

Ottawa may not have a 100-point scorer, but they boasted a fine balanced attack this season, with 13 different players recording 30 or more points.

Toronto, meanwhile, closes out the season on a five-game losing streak, finishing the season 21 points behind the Senators. A disappointing campaigfn after winning the Atlantic Division last year.

As for the Senators, they head to the postseason once again, set to face the Carolina Hurricanes, the top seed in the Eastern Conference. It marks the first ever playoff meeting between the two franchises.

Games 1 and 2 will be played in Raleigh, with dates and time still to be announced. We do know that some of the Stanley Cup Playoff series are set to begin as early as Saturday night.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins will open in Buffalo against the Sabres, the Montreal Canadiens will visit the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Philadelphia Flyers will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Full schedule details are expected to be released Thursday.

Steve Warne
The Hockey News