Senators beat Leafs to stave off elimination again, cut Battle of Ontario deficit to 3-2

The Senators won't go away in the Battle of Ontario.

Linus Ullmark made 27 saves for the first playoff shutout of his career as Ottawa edged out the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 on Tuesday to cut the deficit in the teams' first-round matchup to 3-2.

Thomas Chabot and Dylan Cozens gave the Senators a 2-0 lead before Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk added empty-net goals for Ottawa, which once again staved off elimination after picking up a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 4 at home Saturday. Tkachuk and Stutzle added two assists each for three-point performances.

Anthony Stolarz stopped 15 shots for the Leafs.

Only four NHL teams have come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series — the 1942 Leafs, 1975 Islanders, the 2010 Flyers and the 2014 Kings.

Game 6 goes Thursday in the nation's capital at Canadian Tire Centre.

Toronto, which beat Ottawa four times in a five-playoff span in the early 2000s, dropped to 1-13 in potential series clinching games in the Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner era dating back to the 2018 playoffs. That lone victory came in a first-round triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning two years ago.

The Leafs took the opener of this series against its provincial rival 6-2 before back-to-back 3-2 overtime victories pushed them to a 3-0 lead. The Senators, meanwhile, picked up their first playoff victory since 2017 in Saturday's extra-time decision that kept their season going.

Ottawa opened the scoring at 3:46 of Tuesday's second period on a Chabot point shot that found its way past Stolarz through traffic following an offensive zone faceoff win for the defenceman's first-ever playoff goal.

Toronto — with plenty of post-season baggage, including a blown 3-1 series lead in the 2021 playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens — looked disjointed as the period wore on before the home side finally started to push inside a tense Scotiabank Arena.

Ullmark had to be sharp on a Marner chance in tight before Senators forward Fabian Zetterlund hit the side of Stolarz's net with the goaltender scrambling.

Leafs forward Steven Lorentz then had a terrific opportunity on a 2-on-0 with Calle Jarnkrok, but was unable to finish into a yawning cage.

Stolarz made a big stop on Tkachuk from the slot early in the third to keep Toronto down by just one.

 The Leafs got a power play later in the period when Ridly Greig needlessly tackled Marner along the boards.