If doubt has started to creep into the minds of the Maple Leafs after blowing a second chance at advancing to the second round, then the opposite is occurring with Ottawa Senators following a 4-0 win in Game 5.
They are starting to believe.
It wasn’t long ago that the Senators were down 0-3 in what had been a mostly one-sided Bludgeoning of Ontario. Now, after back-to-back wins with their season on the line, they are one win away from forcing a Game 7.
“I’ve always said, you’re never out of it,” said Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. “And for us tonight, it was nothing other than winning Game 5. There was no other thought about any other games in the series.”
It was after being down 0-3 when Tkachuk said the series was far from over. Teams had come back after being down 0-3, he said. He even brought up the Boston Red Sox's 2004 comeback against the New York Yankees as proof.
"It's been done before," he said, "and I believe that it can happen again."
Down 3-0 To Leafs, Ottawa Senators' Brady Tkachuk Brings Up Red Sox's Reverse Sweep In 2004The Ottawa Senators trail the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0 after losing in overtime Thursday night.
More and more, it is starting to feel that way.
Maybe it is because the Leafs have a history of choking. Or that the Senators are finally getting bounces — and the saves — that they weren't getting in the first three games.
Either way you look at it, the pressure is no longer on Ottawa. Suddenly, it's shifted to Toronto.
“Whenever you lose two in a row, it’s not a good feeling,” said Tkachuk, who had a goal and assist in Game 5. “We lost three and it’s a shitty feeling.”
These Maple Leafs Were Supposed To Be Different, But In Game 5, It Was More Of The SameAnyone who has watched the Toronto Maple Leafs over the past decade has seen Game 5 of the Battle of Ontario so many times.
The Senators, meanwhile, have momentum on their side. And really nothing to lose. Whether they force a Game 7 or lose in Game 6, they’ve made a series out of what looked like it was going to be sweep.
“It can change fast,” Senators coach Travis Green said of the momentum swings of the series. “You can feel great about yourself; feel shitty about yourself as well.”
That pretty much describes how the Leafs must be feeling these days.
They did not want this series to be going to Game 6. Had their once-scorching power play not gone stone cold, this would have already been over.
But now, with Game 6 back in Ottawa, all bets are off.
"Well, I expect pure insanity, that’s for sure," said Tkachuk. "Our mindset right now is that these are do-or-die games."
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