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Newsweek
5 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
FanDuel Promo Code: Claim $200 Bonus For Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals Game 1
The FanDuel promo code for the NBA Finals matchup between the Pacers and Thunder will give new users a $200 bonus ahead of Game 1. The FanDuel promo code for the NBA Finals matchup between the Pacers and Thunder will give new users a $200 bonus ahead of Game 1. Use this FanDuel promo code offer on the NBA Finals and claim this $200 bonus. Basketball fans can start with a $5 bet on the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Indiana Pacers in Game 1. Players who pick a winner on this first bet will receive $200 in bonuses. This flexible offer gives new users a 40-to-1 odds boost on the NBA Finals. According to the oddsmakers, the NBA Finals shouldn't be close. Oklahoma City is a prohibitive favorite to win the series and nearly a double-digit favorite to win Game 1. To be clear, the Thunder have had a dominant run, but we are not counting out the Pacers. FanDuel Sportsbook should be a top option for basketball fans during the NBA Finals. Take a closer look below at the details of this exceptional offer. FanDuel Promo Code For Pacers-Thunder NBA Finals This 40-to-1 odds boost provides players with a chance to boost the odds on Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Start with a $5 bet on this matchup or any other game this week. If that bet wins, players will receive $200 in bonuses. Again, we expect to see a lot of interest in the NBA Finals this weekend, but don't forget about the other current options on FanDuel Sportsbook. There are choices for players in the NHL and MLB. The Edmonton Oilers struck the first blow against the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday. In addition, there are dozens of games to choose from in MLB throughout the weekend. NBA Finals Preview: Thunder vs. Pacers Oklahoma City is a 9.5-point favorite going into Game 1. FanDuel Sportsbook has Indiana as a significant underdog entering the NBA Finals. In fact, the odds on the correct series score are enlightening. According to the odds, a sweep by the Thunder is significantly more likely than the Pacers winning the series in seven games: Oklahoma City 4-0 (+300) Oklahoma City 4-1 (+220) Oklahoma City 4-2 (+410) Oklahoma City 4-3 (+540) Indiana 4-0 (+5500) Indiana 4-1 (+2500) Indiana 4-2 (+1040) Indiana 4-3 (+1200) With all that said, anything can happen when these two teams step on the floor. The New York Knicks won as a massive underdog against the Boston Celtics earlier in the playoffs. FanDuel Sportsbook will have tons of different ways to get in on the action during this NBA Finals. Don't miss out on the chance to raise the stakes on each game with this new promo. How to Redeem This FanDuel Promo Code Creating an account is all it takes to qualify for this odds boost. New users can set up a new user profile by filling out the required prompts with basic identifying information. There is no need to manually enter a promo code to unlock this offer. Deposit $5 or more in cash using any of the preferred payment methods. Now, players will be ready to lock in a $5 bet on Game 1 of the NBA Finals or any other matchup. Players who pick a winner on that first bet will secure $200 in bonuses. 21+ and present in participating states. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Maple Leafs vs. Senators: Matthews and Nylander score, Toronto holds narrow Game 6 lead after two periods
The Maple Leafs have a chance to put the Ottawa Senators away (again) tonight. After taking a 3-0 series lead in the Battle of Ontario , they now find themselves up 3-2. Toronto will advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a road win tonight. Can they pull it off? Follow the Star's Game 6 live blog for updates and commentary from columnist Bruce Arthur . Might as well get the money quote out of the way toot sweetie. 'All I hear around here is core, core, core. The Core 4.'' And Craig Berube has only been 'around here'' for one season. These are the veteran coach's first playoffs behind the Maple Leafs bench. Berube is a lunch-bucket, no-nonsense guy with a throwback sensibility. But he can't possibly truly grasp how sags the spirit in Toronto or the twitchy dread of his longest-tenured players on a team that has watched a 3-0 lead in the opening round of the Atlantic Division series lurch into a 3-2 sinkhole of anxiety. Read the full column from Rosie DiManno The Leafs are 1-13 in series-clinching games since 2018. Auston Matthews, right, and Mitch Marner, left, have combined for just four goals and 10 assists in those 14 games. OTTAWA—Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube put his team's mindset in the simplest terms as it prepares for Game 6 against the not-dead-yet Ottawa Senators. 'Let's go. Ready to go. Business. Let's go,' said Berube. The Leafs find themselves in the driver's seat, up three games to two, while also battling the demons of the past, a record of 1-13 in games in which they could put away an opponent since 2018. They say they're not letting that get to them. You just try to block all that stuff out,' captain Auston Matthews said. 'The main focus is on the guys in the room, on the team and playing for one another. That's really all there is to it. All the outside noise, all that stuff, it is what it is. It's not something that you focus on at all.' Get the latest from Leafs reporter Kevin McGran Are the Toronto Maple Leafs really doing this again? It was 2021 when former Leafs assistant coach Paul MacLean's haunting words were uttered between Games 6 and 7 against the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs, heavy favourites in that first-round playoff series, were comfortably up three games to one before losing the next two in overtime. Amazon's 'All of Nothing' documentary captured a coaches meeting where MacLean spoke about what was at stake for Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. 'You can exorcise so many f—-ing demons. And they've got demons in their heads, they've got 'em in their car, they've got 'em under their f—-ing beds,' MacLean said to former head coach Sheldon Keefe. 'Everywhere they turn there's a f—-ing demon with a loss on it. The biggest obstacle this team has right now is themselves.' Four years have passed, but the demons haven't left. Read the full column from Nick Kypreos Sens captain Brady Tkachuk celebrates his goal against the Maple Leafs in Game 3. Captain Brady Tkachuk promised Senators fans after Game 4 that his team would be back at the Canadian Tire Centre for Game 6. He followed through on that, and now he's asking those attending Thursday night's game to make a difference. 'This is not just about our team, it's about our city,' Tkachuk told reporters after Ottawa's morning skate. 'You can feel the excitement and we're going to need it tonight.' Tkachuk, who has three goals and three assists through the series' five games, was also asked if the Senators had played their best playoff hockey yet. 'There's no chance we're ever going to be complacent with where we're at. We always want more,' he said. So, here we are. These Leafs aren't last year's Leafs, or the Leafs before that. They have better goaltending, in theory. They have a better top defence pair. And critically — again, in theory — they have a weaker first-round opponent in the Ottawa Senators. You could see all of that come to bear as the Leafs opened up the 3-0 lead in this series. And while that's in the rearview mirror, those games were important: they gave the Leafs breathing room, in case things went wrong. Which leads us back: here we are. It's not an exaggeration to say Game 6 in Ottawa is the biggest game in the career of the core Leafs: of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly. Lose this game and you go back to Toronto for a Game 7 played over a trap door, against a young Sens team that isn't afraid of you, with the greatest failure in an era full of playoff failures looming over every second, every decision, everything. Win this game and you get to exhale for about 15 seconds before turning around and finding a Florida Panthers team that has more playoff success in the past two seasons than the Leafs have in the previous 25. Time to figure out whether you have this figured out, Leafs, if just for a night. Let's watch. Nobody wants to be reminded of this moments before a playoff game that feels like a must-win for the Leafs — even if it technically isn't. But these numbers, courtesy of Sportsnet Stats, highlight just how difficult it's been for Toronto to close out playoff series over the last several years. Maybe tonight will be different. The Leafs will once again try to close out a series The Ottawa rink is still one of the most inconvenient arenas in the league; a traffic nightmare from downtown, narrow concourses, dated and old. Going to Senators games can honestly sometimes feel like it's a garage franchise, to borrow a phrase. One time I ate a pre-game meal there and it felt like we were eating leftovers. I have a montage of pictures of Craig Custance of The Athletic laughing bitterly as he ate it. Well, tonight, with no disrespect to Edmonton, the Canadian Tire Centre is the centre of the Canadian hockey universe. This is a Leafs game people will remember, one way or another. It's going to be fascinating to see whether the Leafs look nervous, indecisive, desperate in the wrong way. Because lord knows we've seen them look like that before. Tonight's opera is underway. Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews each have one goal through five games in this series. Marner has six assists while Matthews has five. In 14 series-clinching games since 2018, the Leafs duo has combined for four goals and 10 assists. Toronto will need them to step up tonight. The Star's Kevin McGran is in Ottawa and took a photo of the two stars finishing their pre-game routine, where they're the last players on the ice. 16-34 'Matthews' balding!' 'Marner's leaving!' The Ottawa crowd has been hot, and this game had almost no whistles, very little sustained zone pressure, and not a lot of scoring chances either way until that last push by the Senators, and the penalty on John Tavares. They're chanting "Marner's Leaving" chants in Ottawa 😭 Mitch Marner is a free agent at the end of this season One thing I am watching for tonight, by the way: Of the 14 Leafs goals in the series, five have come from defencemen: two from Oliver Ekman-Larsson, two from Morgan Rielly, one from Simon Benoit. In the regular season, the six defencemen dressed tonight scored 17 of Toronto's 267 goals. What I am saying is, the production is unlikely to be sustainable, and the pressure on the core of this top-heavy team might actually be higher than it looks. Every time the Leafs come close but don't score - Max Pacioretty and then Max Domi had glorious chances just now, but Pacioretty hit the post and Domi's shot was deflected wide in the crease - we're all going to wonder whether the Leafs are gripping the sticks tighter, and tighter. Again: there are so many past examples of how the Leafs lose a game like this, and they're going to have to find a way to write a different ending. One thing that Leafs fans should feel good about is this Senators team really doesn't have a lot of high-end pop. They work hard, but Brady Tkachuk is clearly playing through something, for one thing. Stützle was on the wrong side on that Ottawa 3-on-2, and couldn't get there. The Sens do have a lot of guys who could skate or hit or grind their way to a goal, but the Leafs have been limiting their shot attempts for long stretches, while losing the shot attempt battle. Now Tkachuk is in the box, and the Leafs have a chance to rev up the power play again. The first PP in Game 5 was really dangerous; we might say this 30 times tonight, but Toronto needs to take advantage of an opportunity like this. There you go. The Leafs had been 0 for their previous 30 on the power play in elimination games, but Matthews was brilliant there: absolutely wrong-footed Ullmark with a changeup along the ice, and the captain scores his second of the series. PAPI PRECISION 🎯 @Rogers | #LeafsForever Matthews and Marner had produced almost nothing of note at 5-on-5 in that period; neither, for that matter, did Nylander or Tavares. The longer this game stayed scoreless, the more the pressure was going to build. Now the Leafs get to take a breather, and feel good about themselves, going into the second period. The big guys still need to be more dangerous, though. Elliotte Friedman makes a good point: whoever put the wrong number on William Nylander in the lineup card could have gotten Nylander disqualified from the game. That would have been an incredibly iconic Leafs moment, right? Alex Nylander's numbers instead of William? Had nobody noticed before puck drop, that would have been an all-time boner. That is a bullet, dodged. I can't decide if it's a good omen, or a bad one. Really does say Alexander Nylander haha Good thing William Nylander wasn't accidentally disqualified on his birthday. Fresh ice, Senators make a mistake, and Nylander didn't make a mistake. His only other goal in the series came on a 5-on-3; this one was bigger. A gift for all is always in Style 😎🥳 @Rogers | #LeafsForever Still tons of time, and Anthony Stolarz is going to need to be solid. But the Senators only had four shots on goal in the first 22 minutes of this game, and the Leafs have scored twice. As soon as the Leafs went up 2-0 they were back on their heels, and Tkachuk gets the deflection after a Nylander giveaway. Scoring chances are 7-1 Sens in the period, per Natural Stat Trick, and Matthews threw away a puck from behind his own net a couple minutes ago, and now the breathing room is ... limited. VOLUME ALL THE WAY UP FOR THIS CROWD REACTION 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ #GoSensGo Stolarz wasn't going to stop that, but he's going to have to have a good Stolarz game, it appears. Go ahead and do this for 35 minutes, see how it goes, sure. Tavares hits the outside of the post. Matthews already hit a post. This game is swinging back and forth, but if you're a Leafs fan, one thing you like is that Matthews and Marner have geared up. They're winning puck battles, first and foremost. That's a good sign. You can say this a lot, but the effect is heightened as a series goes on, so: the next goal is huge. The difference between pushing this to a 3-1 lead and blowing a 2-0 lead, especially in the third period of a road game, is massive, massive for the Leafs right now. They're getting chances, but Linus Ullmark has gotten better as the series has gone on. Right now, the big difference in this game is the Senators power play was quiet, and the Leafs made good on their one PP chance. There have only been two penalties; at 5-on-5, there hasn't been a big difference between these teams. Can the Leafs' best guys break through one more time? Can they get a depth goal? Can a team whose puck possession numbers have been awful play 20 minutes of defensive hockey to end this series?
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Maple Leafs vs. Senators: Nylander scores twice, Toronto wins Game 6 in Ottawa to take first-round series
The Maple Leafs have a chance to put the Ottawa Senators away (again) tonight. After taking a 3-0 series lead in the Battle of Ontario , they now find themselves up 3-2. Toronto will advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a road win tonight. Can they pull it off? Follow the Star's Game 6 live blog for updates and commentary from columnist Bruce Arthur . Might as well get the money quote out of the way toot sweetie. 'All I hear around here is core, core, core. The Core 4.'' And Craig Berube has only been 'around here'' for one season. These are the veteran coach's first playoffs behind the Maple Leafs bench. Berube is a lunch-bucket, no-nonsense guy with a throwback sensibility. But he can't possibly truly grasp how sags the spirit in Toronto or the twitchy dread of his longest-tenured players on a team that has watched a 3-0 lead in the opening round of the Atlantic Division series lurch into a 3-2 sinkhole of anxiety. Read the full column from Rosie DiManno The Leafs are 1-13 in series-clinching games since 2018. Auston Matthews, right, and Mitch Marner, left, have combined for just four goals and 10 assists in those 14 games. OTTAWA—Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube put his team's mindset in the simplest terms as it prepares for Game 6 against the not-dead-yet Ottawa Senators. 'Let's go. Ready to go. Business. Let's go,' said Berube. The Leafs find themselves in the driver's seat, up three games to two, while also battling the demons of the past, a record of 1-13 in games in which they could put away an opponent since 2018. They say they're not letting that get to them. You just try to block all that stuff out,' captain Auston Matthews said. 'The main focus is on the guys in the room, on the team and playing for one another. That's really all there is to it. All the outside noise, all that stuff, it is what it is. It's not something that you focus on at all.' Get the latest from Leafs reporter Kevin McGran Are the Toronto Maple Leafs really doing this again? It was 2021 when former Leafs assistant coach Paul MacLean's haunting words were uttered between Games 6 and 7 against the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs, heavy favourites in that first-round playoff series, were comfortably up three games to one before losing the next two in overtime. Amazon's 'All of Nothing' documentary captured a coaches meeting where MacLean spoke about what was at stake for Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. 'You can exorcise so many f—-ing demons. And they've got demons in their heads, they've got 'em in their car, they've got 'em under their f—-ing beds,' MacLean said to former head coach Sheldon Keefe. 'Everywhere they turn there's a f—-ing demon with a loss on it. The biggest obstacle this team has right now is themselves.' Four years have passed, but the demons haven't left. Read the full column from Nick Kypreos Sens captain Brady Tkachuk celebrates his goal against the Maple Leafs in Game 3. Captain Brady Tkachuk promised Senators fans after Game 4 that his team would be back at the Canadian Tire Centre for Game 6. He followed through on that, and now he's asking those attending Thursday night's game to make a difference. 'This is not just about our team, it's about our city,' Tkachuk told reporters after Ottawa's morning skate. 'You can feel the excitement and we're going to need it tonight.' Tkachuk, who has three goals and three assists through the series' five games, was also asked if the Senators had played their best playoff hockey yet. 'There's no chance we're ever going to be complacent with where we're at. We always want more,' he said. So, here we are. These Leafs aren't last year's Leafs, or the Leafs before that. They have better goaltending, in theory. They have a better top defence pair. And critically — again, in theory — they have a weaker first-round opponent in the Ottawa Senators. You could see all of that come to bear as the Leafs opened up the 3-0 lead in this series. And while that's in the rearview mirror, those games were important: they gave the Leafs breathing room, in case things went wrong. Which leads us back: here we are. It's not an exaggeration to say Game 6 in Ottawa is the biggest game in the career of the core Leafs: of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly. Lose this game and you go back to Toronto for a Game 7 played over a trap door, against a young Sens team that isn't afraid of you, with the greatest failure in an era full of playoff failures looming over every second, every decision, everything. Win this game and you get to exhale for about 15 seconds before turning around and finding a Florida Panthers team that has more playoff success in the past two seasons than the Leafs have in the previous 25. Time to figure out whether you have this figured out, Leafs, if just for a night. Let's watch. Nobody wants to be reminded of this moments before a playoff game that feels like a must-win for the Leafs — even if it technically isn't. But these numbers, courtesy of Sportsnet Stats, highlight just how difficult it's been for Toronto to close out playoff series over the last several years. Maybe tonight will be different. The Leafs will once again try to close out a series The Ottawa rink is still one of the most inconvenient arenas in the league; a traffic nightmare from downtown, narrow concourses, dated and old. Going to Senators games can honestly sometimes feel like it's a garage franchise, to borrow a phrase. One time I ate a pre-game meal there and it felt like we were eating leftovers. I have a montage of pictures of Craig Custance of The Athletic laughing bitterly as he ate it. Well, tonight, with no disrespect to Edmonton, the Canadian Tire Centre is the centre of the Canadian hockey universe. This is a Leafs game people will remember, one way or another. It's going to be fascinating to see whether the Leafs look nervous, indecisive, desperate in the wrong way. Because lord knows we've seen them look like that before. Tonight's opera is underway. Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews each have one goal through five games in this series. Marner has six assists while Matthews has five. In 14 series-clinching games since 2018, the Leafs duo has combined for four goals and 10 assists. Toronto will need them to step up tonight. The Star's Kevin McGran is in Ottawa and took a photo of the two stars finishing their pre-game routine, where they're the last players on the ice. 16-34 'Matthews' balding!' 'Marner's leaving!' The Ottawa crowd has been hot, and this game had almost no whistles, very little sustained zone pressure, and not a lot of scoring chances either way until that last push by the Senators, and the penalty on John Tavares. They're chanting "Marner's Leaving" chants in Ottawa 😭 Mitch Marner is a free agent at the end of this season One thing I am watching for tonight, by the way: Of the 14 Leafs goals in the series, five have come from defencemen: two from Oliver Ekman-Larsson, two from Morgan Rielly, one from Simon Benoit. In the regular season, the six defencemen dressed tonight scored 17 of Toronto's 267 goals. What I am saying is, the production is unlikely to be sustainable, and the pressure on the core of this top-heavy team might actually be higher than it looks. Every time the Leafs come close but don't score - Max Pacioretty and then Max Domi had glorious chances just now, but Pacioretty hit the post and Domi's shot was deflected wide in the crease - we're all going to wonder whether the Leafs are gripping the sticks tighter, and tighter. Again: there are so many past examples of how the Leafs lose a game like this, and they're going to have to find a way to write a different ending. One thing that Leafs fans should feel good about is this Senators team really doesn't have a lot of high-end pop. They work hard, but Brady Tkachuk is clearly playing through something, for one thing. Stützle was on the wrong side on that Ottawa 3-on-2, and couldn't get there. The Sens do have a lot of guys who could skate or hit or grind their way to a goal, but the Leafs have been limiting their shot attempts for long stretches, while losing the shot attempt battle. Now Tkachuk is in the box, and the Leafs have a chance to rev up the power play again. The first PP in Game 5 was really dangerous; we might say this 30 times tonight, but Toronto needs to take advantage of an opportunity like this. There you go. The Leafs had been 0 for their previous 30 on the power play in elimination games, but Matthews was brilliant there: absolutely wrong-footed Ullmark with a changeup along the ice, and the captain scores his second of the series. PAPI PRECISION 🎯 @Rogers | #LeafsForever Matthews and Marner had produced almost nothing of note at 5-on-5 in that period; neither, for that matter, did Nylander or Tavares. The longer this game stayed scoreless, the more the pressure was going to build. Now the Leafs get to take a breather, and feel good about themselves, going into the second period. The big guys still need to be more dangerous, though. Elliotte Friedman makes a good point: whoever put the wrong number on William Nylander in the lineup card could have gotten Nylander disqualified from the game. That would have been an incredibly iconic Leafs moment, right? Alex Nylander's numbers instead of William? Had nobody noticed before puck drop, that would have been an all-time boner. That is a bullet, dodged. I can't decide if it's a good omen, or a bad one. Really does say Alexander Nylander haha Good thing William Nylander wasn't accidentally disqualified on his birthday. Fresh ice, Senators make a mistake, and Nylander didn't make a mistake. His only other goal in the series came on a 5-on-3; this one was bigger. A gift for all is always in Style 😎🥳 @Rogers | #LeafsForever Still tons of time, and Anthony Stolarz is going to need to be solid. But the Senators only had four shots on goal in the first 22 minutes of this game, and the Leafs have scored twice. As soon as the Leafs went up 2-0 they were back on their heels, and Tkachuk gets the deflection after a Nylander giveaway. Scoring chances are 7-1 Sens in the period, per Natural Stat Trick, and Matthews threw away a puck from behind his own net a couple minutes ago, and now the breathing room is ... limited. VOLUME ALL THE WAY UP FOR THIS CROWD REACTION 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ #GoSensGo Stolarz wasn't going to stop that, but he's going to have to have a good Stolarz game, it appears. Go ahead and do this for 35 minutes, see how it goes, sure. Tavares hits the outside of the post. Matthews already hit a post. This game is swinging back and forth, but if you're a Leafs fan, one thing you like is that Matthews and Marner have geared up. They're winning puck battles, first and foremost. That's a good sign. You can say this a lot, but the effect is heightened as a series goes on, so: the next goal is huge. The difference between pushing this to a 3-1 lead and blowing a 2-0 lead, especially in the third period of a road game, is massive, massive for the Leafs right now. They're getting chances, but Linus Ullmark has gotten better as the series has gone on. Right now, the big difference in this game is the Senators power play was quiet, and the Leafs made good on their one PP chance. There have only been two penalties; at 5-on-5, there hasn't been a big difference between these teams. Can the Leafs' best guys break through one more time? Can they get a depth goal? Can a team whose puck possession numbers have been awful play 20 minutes of defensive hockey to end this series? This has been a respectable enough Morgan Rielly game, but that is not an interference penalty you want to take. Things were under control. Leafs are 37-1-1 when leading after two periods this year. The Sens have trouble generating shots and scoring, in general. So far, so good. This game is still in the balance, but the Leafs aren't collapsing by any means. Jesus, the Sens had a terrible power play, the Leafs survived, and David Perron ties it from a really tough angle. The Leafs can't hold on, now. They have to win it, or not. Max Domi, who has been terrible in the series, with the pass; Max Pacioretty, who has looked old at times in this series and hadn't scored since December, breaks the tie. The Leafs needed depth scoring in the worst way, and they got some. I mean, I'm not a gambler, and in fact actively counsel against gambling on sports, but what the hell were the odds on Pacioretty scoring a goal in this game? Senators fans cheer during the second period of Game 6 against the Leafs in Ottawa on Thursday, May 1, 2025. Perron literally banked it off Stolarz's back. Incredible. ELECTRIC ⚡️ #GoSensGo The Leafs have covered up their poor-to-middling possession numbers all year with high-end scoring and excellent tandem goaltending, and that was a bad time for their goaltending to allow that goal. Credit where it's due: this has been a good response to Ottawa's tying goal. The Leafs never do this. This is a team that is 1-13 in potential series-winning games since 2018. Now you just need to hold on. The Toronto Maple Leafs: 2-13 in potential closeout games in the Matthews-Marner-Nylander era. Matthews scores, Nylander gets two, and Max Pacioretty, the latest in a long line of veteran guys who join the Leafs after never winning before, is the guy who makes the biggest difference. That was nervy, but the Leafs will play the Florida Panthers in the second round. That wasn't a dominant performance, in the game or the series. This team is still capable of weird, underwhelming performances. The demons are still there: beating a young, inexperienced Senators team in six games isn't going to banish the entirely of Toronto's past. But this is the kind of matchup that a serious team finds a way to win, even if you blew a 3-0 series lead, even if you blew a 2-0 lead in Game 6. The Leafs didn't choke. I mean, that's an obvious statement, but it's an important one: they didn't freeze, didn't panic, didn't wobble too much, and recovered when they did. That's something. All that said: the only other time the Leafs got out of the first round, the Florida Panthers were waiting for them, and the Panthers just made quick work of Tampa and are built for playoff hockey. This will be a genuine test, and I would suspect the Leafs will not be favourites. Auston Matthews talking about the noise on the outside in his post-game Sportsnet interview was notable. They know the market they play in. They know their history. They know what it would have been like had they been pulled to a Game 7. But Berube was cool, and the team was fine. It might change against a tougher opponent, of course. In 2022 the Leafs lost the first two games at home, and then bafflingly, infuriatingly, delivered something close to a no-show in Game 3 in Florida, and the season was effectively over. That was the moment that then-GM Kyle Dubas decided he was going to explore changing the core, before his implosion with president Brendan Shanahan, and the window to change the core of this team passed. So, here they are, with Florida on the docket again, and another chance. They beat one Tkachuk, and now get to try to beat another one.
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Maple Leafs vs. Senators Game 6 live blog: Toronto looks to reach second round with win in Ottawa
The Maple Leafs have a chance to put the Ottawa Senators away (again) tonight. After taking a 3-0 series lead in the Battle of Ontario , they now find themselves up 3-2. Toronto will advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a road win tonight. Can they pull it off? Follow the Star's Game 6 live blog for updates and commentary from columnist Bruce Arthur . Might as well get the money quote out of the way toot sweetie. 'All I hear around here is core, core, core. The Core 4.'' And Craig Berube has only been 'around here'' for one season. These are the veteran coach's first playoffs behind the Maple Leafs bench. Berube is a lunch-bucket, no-nonsense guy with a throwback sensibility. But he can't possibly truly grasp how sags the spirit in Toronto or the twitchy dread of his longest-tenured players on a team that has watched a 3-0 lead in the opening round of the Atlantic Division series lurch into a 3-2 sinkhole of anxiety. Read the full column from Rosie DiManno The Leafs are 1-13 in series-clinching games since 2018. Auston Matthews, right, and Mitch Marner, left, have combined for just four goals and 10 assists in those 14 games. OTTAWA—Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube put his team's mindset in the simplest terms as it prepares for Game 6 against the not-dead-yet Ottawa Senators. 'Let's go. Ready to go. Business. Let's go,' said Berube. The Leafs find themselves in the driver's seat, up three games to two, while also battling the demons of the past, a record of 1-13 in games in which they could put away an opponent since 2018. They say they're not letting that get to them. You just try to block all that stuff out,' captain Auston Matthews said. 'The main focus is on the guys in the room, on the team and playing for one another. That's really all there is to it. All the outside noise, all that stuff, it is what it is. It's not something that you focus on at all.' Get the latest from Leafs reporter Kevin McGran Are the Toronto Maple Leafs really doing this again? It was 2021 when former Leafs assistant coach Paul MacLean's haunting words were uttered between Games 6 and 7 against the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs, heavy favourites in that first-round playoff series, were comfortably up three games to one before losing the next two in overtime. Amazon's 'All of Nothing' documentary captured a coaches meeting where MacLean spoke about what was at stake for Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. 'You can exorcise so many f—-ing demons. And they've got demons in their heads, they've got 'em in their car, they've got 'em under their f—-ing beds,' MacLean said to former head coach Sheldon Keefe. 'Everywhere they turn there's a f—-ing demon with a loss on it. The biggest obstacle this team has right now is themselves.' Four years have passed, but the demons haven't left. Read the full column from Nick Kypreos Sens captain Brady Tkachuk celebrates his goal against the Maple Leafs in Game 3. Captain Brady Tkachuk promised Senators fans after Game 4 that his team would be back at the Canadian Tire Centre for Game 6. He followed through on that, and now he's asking those attending Thursday night's game to make a difference. 'This is not just about our team, it's about our city,' Tkachuk told reporters after Ottawa's morning skate. 'You can feel the excitement and we're going to need it tonight.' Tkachuk, who has three goals and three assists through the series' five games, was also asked if the Senators had played their best playoff hockey yet. 'There's no chance we're ever going to be complacent with where we're at. We always want more,' he said.
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Maple Leafs vs. Senators: Auston Matthews and William Nylander score, Toronto leads in Game 6
The Maple Leafs have a chance to put the Ottawa Senators away (again) tonight. After taking a 3-0 series lead in the Battle of Ontario , they now find themselves up 3-2. Toronto will advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a road win tonight. Can they pull it off? Follow the Star's Game 6 live blog for updates and commentary from columnist Bruce Arthur . Might as well get the money quote out of the way toot sweetie. 'All I hear around here is core, core, core. The Core 4.'' And Craig Berube has only been 'around here'' for one season. These are the veteran coach's first playoffs behind the Maple Leafs bench. Berube is a lunch-bucket, no-nonsense guy with a throwback sensibility. But he can't possibly truly grasp how sags the spirit in Toronto or the twitchy dread of his longest-tenured players on a team that has watched a 3-0 lead in the opening round of the Atlantic Division series lurch into a 3-2 sinkhole of anxiety. Read the full column from Rosie DiManno The Leafs are 1-13 in series-clinching games since 2018. Auston Matthews, right, and Mitch Marner, left, have combined for just four goals and 10 assists in those 14 games. OTTAWA—Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube put his team's mindset in the simplest terms as it prepares for Game 6 against the not-dead-yet Ottawa Senators. 'Let's go. Ready to go. Business. Let's go,' said Berube. The Leafs find themselves in the driver's seat, up three games to two, while also battling the demons of the past, a record of 1-13 in games in which they could put away an opponent since 2018. They say they're not letting that get to them. You just try to block all that stuff out,' captain Auston Matthews said. 'The main focus is on the guys in the room, on the team and playing for one another. That's really all there is to it. All the outside noise, all that stuff, it is what it is. It's not something that you focus on at all.' Get the latest from Leafs reporter Kevin McGran Are the Toronto Maple Leafs really doing this again? It was 2021 when former Leafs assistant coach Paul MacLean's haunting words were uttered between Games 6 and 7 against the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs, heavy favourites in that first-round playoff series, were comfortably up three games to one before losing the next two in overtime. Amazon's 'All of Nothing' documentary captured a coaches meeting where MacLean spoke about what was at stake for Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. 'You can exorcise so many f—-ing demons. And they've got demons in their heads, they've got 'em in their car, they've got 'em under their f—-ing beds,' MacLean said to former head coach Sheldon Keefe. 'Everywhere they turn there's a f—-ing demon with a loss on it. The biggest obstacle this team has right now is themselves.' Four years have passed, but the demons haven't left. Read the full column from Nick Kypreos Sens captain Brady Tkachuk celebrates his goal against the Maple Leafs in Game 3. Captain Brady Tkachuk promised Senators fans after Game 4 that his team would be back at the Canadian Tire Centre for Game 6. He followed through on that, and now he's asking those attending Thursday night's game to make a difference. 'This is not just about our team, it's about our city,' Tkachuk told reporters after Ottawa's morning skate. 'You can feel the excitement and we're going to need it tonight.' Tkachuk, who has three goals and three assists through the series' five games, was also asked if the Senators had played their best playoff hockey yet. 'There's no chance we're ever going to be complacent with where we're at. We always want more,' he said. So, here we are. These Leafs aren't last year's Leafs, or the Leafs before that. They have better goaltending, in theory. They have a better top defence pair. And critically — again, in theory — they have a weaker first-round opponent in the Ottawa Senators. You could see all of that come to bear as the Leafs opened up the 3-0 lead in this series. And while that's in the rearview mirror, those games were important: they gave the Leafs breathing room, in case things went wrong. Which leads us back: here we are. It's not an exaggeration to say Game 6 in Ottawa is the biggest game in the career of the core Leafs: of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly. Lose this game and you go back to Toronto for a Game 7 played over a trap door, against a young Sens team that isn't afraid of you, with the greatest failure in an era full of playoff failures looming over every second, every decision, everything. Win this game and you get to exhale for about 15 seconds before turning around and finding a Florida Panthers team that has more playoff success in the past two seasons than the Leafs have in the previous 25. Time to figure out whether you have this figured out, Leafs, if just for a night. Let's watch. Nobody wants to be reminded of this moments before a playoff game that feels like a must-win for the Leafs — even if it technically isn't. But these numbers, courtesy of Sportsnet Stats, highlight just how difficult it's been for Toronto to close out playoff series over the last several years. Maybe tonight will be different. The Leafs will once again try to close out a series The Ottawa rink is still one of the most inconvenient arenas in the league; a traffic nightmare from downtown, narrow concourses, dated and old. Going to Senators games can honestly sometimes feel like it's a garage franchise, to borrow a phrase. One time I ate a pre-game meal there and it felt like we were eating leftovers. I have a montage of pictures of Craig Custance of The Athletic laughing bitterly as he ate it. Well, tonight, with no disrespect to Edmonton, the Canadian Tire Centre is the centre of the Canadian hockey universe. This is a Leafs game people will remember, one way or another. It's going to be fascinating to see whether the Leafs look nervous, indecisive, desperate in the wrong way. Because lord knows we've seen them look like that before. Tonight's opera is underway. Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews each have one goal through five games in this series. Marner has six assists while Matthews has five. In 14 series-clinching games since 2018, the Leafs duo has combined for four goals and 10 assists. Toronto will need them to step up tonight. The Star's Kevin McGran is in Ottawa and took a photo of the two stars finishing their pre-game routine, where they're the last players on the ice. 16-34 'Matthews' balding!' 'Marner's leaving!' The Ottawa crowd has been hot, and this game had almost no whistles, very little sustained zone pressure, and not a lot of scoring chances either way until that last push by the Senators, and the penalty on John Tavares. They're chanting "Marner's Leaving" chants in Ottawa 😭 Mitch Marner is a free agent at the end of this season One thing I am watching for tonight, by the way: Of the 14 Leafs goals in the series, five have come from defencemen: two from Oliver Ekman-Larsson, two from Morgan Rielly, one from Simon Benoit. In the regular season, the six defencemen dressed tonight scored 17 of Toronto's 267 goals. What I am saying is, the production is unlikely to be sustainable, and the pressure on the core of this top-heavy team might actually be higher than it looks. Every time the Leafs come close but don't score - Max Pacioretty and then Max Domi had glorious chances just now, but Pacioretty hit the post and Domi's shot was deflected wide in the crease - we're all going to wonder whether the Leafs are gripping the sticks tighter, and tighter. Again: there are so many past examples of how the Leafs lose a game like this, and they're going to have to find a way to write a different ending. One thing that Leafs fans should feel good about is this Senators team really doesn't have a lot of high-end pop. They work hard, but Brady Tkachuk is clearly playing through something, for one thing. Stützle was on the wrong side on that Ottawa 3-on-2, and couldn't get there. The Sens do have a lot of guys who could skate or hit or grind their way to a goal, but the Leafs have been limiting their shot attempts for long stretches, while losing the shot attempt battle. Now Tkachuk is in the box, and the Leafs have a chance to rev up the power play again. The first PP in Game 5 was really dangerous; we might say this 30 times tonight, but Toronto needs to take advantage of an opportunity like this. There you go. The Leafs had been 0 for their previous 30 on the power play in elimination games, but Matthews was brilliant there: absolutely wrong-footed Ullmark with a changeup along the ice, and the captain scores his second of the series. PAPI PRECISION 🎯 @Rogers | #LeafsForever Matthews and Marner had produced almost nothing of note at 5-on-5 in that period; neither, for that matter, did Nylander or Tavares. The longer this game stayed scoreless, the more the pressure was going to build. Now the Leafs get to take a breather, and feel good about themselves, going into the second period. The big guys still need to be more dangerous, though. Elliotte Friedman makes a good point: whoever put the wrong number on William Nylander in the lineup card could have gotten Nylander disqualified from the game. That would have been an incredibly iconic Leafs moment, right? Alex Nylander's numbers instead of William? Had nobody noticed before puck drop, that would have been an all-time boner. That is a bullet, dodged. I can't decide if it's a good omen, or a bad one. Really does say Alexander Nylander haha Good thing William Nylander wasn't accidentally disqualified on his birthday. Fresh ice, Senators make a mistake, and Nylander didn't make a mistake. His only other goal in the series came on a 5-on-3; this one was bigger. A gift for all is always in Style 😎🥳 @Rogers | #LeafsForever Still tons of time, and Anthony Stolarz is going to need to be solid. But the Senators only had four shots on goal in the first 22 minutes of this game, and the Leafs have scored twice. As soon as the Leafs went up 2-0 they were back on their heels, and Tkachuk gets the deflection after a Nylander giveaway. Scoring chances are 7-1 Sens in the period, per Natural Stat Trick, and Matthews threw away a puck from behind his own net a couple minutes ago, and now the breathing room is ... limited. VOLUME ALL THE WAY UP FOR THIS CROWD REACTION 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ #GoSensGo Stolarz wasn't going to stop that, but he's going to have to have a good Stolarz game, it appears. Go ahead and do this for 35 minutes, see how it goes, sure. Tavares hits the outside of the post. Matthews already hit a post. This game is swinging back and forth, but if you're a Leafs fan, one thing you like is that Matthews and Marner have geared up. They're winning puck battles, first and foremost. That's a good sign. You can say this a lot, but the effect is heightened as a series goes on, so: the next goal is huge. The difference between pushing this to a 3-1 lead and blowing a 2-0 lead, especially in the third period of a road game, is massive, massive for the Leafs right now. They're getting chances, but Linus Ullmark has gotten better as the series has gone on. Right now, the big difference in this game is the Senators power play was quiet, and the Leafs made good on their one PP chance. There have only been two penalties; at 5-on-5, there hasn't been a big difference between these teams. Can the Leafs' best guys break through one more time? Can they get a depth goal? Can a team whose puck possession numbers have been awful play 20 minutes of defensive hockey to end this series?
