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Advancing past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs has been a struggle for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the past 20 years.

They’ve managed to get to the second round just once since 2005-06, doing so in 2022-23 after dispatching the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games. That was the first time they had gotten out of the opening round since 2003-04, with the 2004-05 season canceled by a lockout.

The Maple Leafs can put themselves one step closer to advancing when they visit the Ottawa Senators for Game 3 of their series on Thursday.

Toronto holds a 2-0 series lead after taking a 3-2 overtime win on Tuesday, a contest in which they held a 2-0 lead after the first period before Ottawa scored in the second and third periods to send it to overtime.

“Big win. Obviously, we needed that one,” said Toronto forward Max Domi, who scored the game-winning goal. “Got to give Ottawa all the credit in the world, they played a heck of a hockey game. … Big win. On to the next one now.”

The power play has been rolling through the first two games of the best-seven set. After going 3-for-6 in in the 6-2 opening victory on Sunday, the Maple Leafs connected on their lone opportunity on Tuesday and are now at 4-for-7 in the series, a success rate of 57.1 percent.

But it’s not just the offense that’s delivering for Toronto. Though boasting some of the NHL’s top offensive talent, the team has also committed to getting the job done when it doesn’t have the puck.

The Maple Leafs have blocked 50 shots thus far, just under half of their total from their seven-game output last season, when they got in front of 107 shots. That includes captain Auston Matthews and winger Mitch Marner, who blocked four and three shots, respectively, in Game 2. Matthews’ total tied defenseman Brandon Carlo for most on the team in the game.

“That’s part of playoffs,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “You’ve got to really dig in in those areas. … Guys did a great job of it, and everybody’s got to do it.”

Despite being in a hole after two games, the Senators are still feeling confident as the series shifts to Ottawa.

“There’s not one ounce of panic, doubt in this locker room,” captain Brady Tkachuk said. “Honestly, there’s not one ounce of panic.”

The playoffs are new experience for Tkachuk and 11 of his teammates in the organization’s first postseason appearance since 2017.

“I think it’s been pretty even 5-on-5 for the most part,” forward Drake Batherson said. “They’re playing good, I think we’re playing good also. It’s going to be a good series and, hopefully, we can get a win tomorrow and make it interesting.”

Staying out of the box is only one area the Senators will be looking to improve. They’ll also be aiming for a better start to the game. The Maple Leafs have taken a 2-0 lead in the first period in each of the first two outings.

“I feel like in playoffs, the home team usually comes out pretty hard, and I feel like we’re going to be like that tomorrow,” Batherson said. “We’re going to be confident coming out. It would be nice to get up one early … rather than trailing.”

–Field Level Media