The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators kicked off Game 3 in Ottawa for their first playoff game there since 2017. The Maple Leafs came into the game looking to take a stranglehold on the series, and that’s exactly what they did. After winning Game 2 in overtime, they had a very similar third period, and ultimately the game headed to OT for the second straight game.
In the extra frame, the Maple Leafs took advantage of an offensive face-off. Auston Matthews won the draw back to Simon Benoit, who ripped a shot from the point and beat Linus Ullmark. Not only did it win the game, it also gave the Maple Leafs a 3-0 series lead with a chance to close it out on Saturday night.
Game 3 also saw the emergence of Matthews, who could have had his best game of the series on both sides of the puck. It also marks the first time since 1986 that a Maple Leafs coach has won his first three playoff appearances. Leafs Nation is fired up—this year feels different. In just 48 hours, we’ll find out if this team can go for the sweep against the Senators. However, for now, let’s look at a few takeaways from last night’s game.
Benoit Has Clutch Genes
Every Stanley Cup winner has a player who steps up in big moments and helps them win games. Typically, these players aren’t the best on the team—they’re role players who have the unique ability to be clutch when their team needs it. For the Maple Leafs so far through the first three games of the series, that player has been Benoit. In the last two games, once the game enters OT, he reaches another level and has taken matters into his own hands to be involved in the game-winning goal.
In Game 2, he made a brilliant interception and rushed the puck up the ice. Once he gained the zone, he dropped the puck to Max Domi, who stickhandled through the Senators’ defense and fired it past Ullmark’s shoulder. Then in Game 3, he and his teammates took advantage of an offensive zone face-off—and as mentioned before, he rifled the puck past Ullmark to win the game. Benoit has proven in back-to-back games that he can step up when the pressure is on. Maybe that’s a direct result of the trust the…
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