Captain Brady Tkachuk makes feelings known after Maple Leafs' Max Domi spoils Senators' comeback from 2-0 

By ARJUN B

Modified Apr 23, 2025 04:43 GMT

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The Ottawa Senators battled back from a 2-0 hole in Game 2 of their first-round playoff matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but their rally was cut short when Max Domi scored in overtime to give Toronto a 3-2 victory.

Senators captain Brady Tkachuk made his feelings known after the tough loss, stressing his team's resilience while looking ahead to returning home for Game 3 on Thursday.

"Yeah. I mean, just a ton of belief. We've been resilient all year, and you need to be resilient moving forward," Tkachuk said postgame via 'Spittin' Chiclets' on X/Twitter.

"But we're saying that everybody's pulling the same rope. Everybody wants to do whatever it takes to win. I know it's a common theme that we don't get rewarded, but we're not going to let this deflate us," he added.

Tkachuk also called it a great chance for the team to head home, noting how long Sens fans have been waiting for this moment. He further pointed out that the team will need their energy and that he’s excited to play Game 3 in front of them.

The Maple Leafs grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Morgan Rielly and John Tavares. But the Senators fought back with Tkachuk scoring in the second, and Adam Gaudette tying the game in the third to force overtime.

That's when Max Domi struck 3:09 into the extra session, taking a feed from Simon Benoit and firing a wrist shot past Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark to seal the win.

Anthony Stolarz turned aside 26 shots to backstop the win, while Linus Ullmark had 18 saves at the other end.

Senators HC Travis Green on 3-2 OT loss against Leafs

Senators head coach Travis Green acknowledged that many of his players haven't experienced the intensity of playoff hockey, and the manner of the defeat was a learning experience for the group.

“We talked about that quickly, we talked about earlier today that we had to play better. I really like the way we played tonight. And except our group. Looking forward to the next game," Green said via NHL.com.

He went on to express satisfaction with his team’s overall effort, pointing out their sustained pressure in the Leafs’ zone and how they forced the opposition to block a lot of shots.

The coach added that their road game performance was encouraging, giving them a good foundation to build on as they look to tighten things up in the next game.

Game 3 of the playoff series is set to take place at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.