This series heads to Ottawa with the Senators desperately looking to crawl back into contention here. That said, the first two games of the series made it clear that Toronto is the better team here. I expect the Maple Leafs to come out ahead again on Thursday and improve their lead in the series to 3-0.

Of all the first-round matchups we suspect this is the most likely for a sweep. Though the pace slowed in the second and third periods of Game 2, Toronto has been mostly getting a good jump up the ice, and the frontline scorers are in sync, John Tavares and Mitch Marner in particular. Plus, Anthony Stolarz has looked solid in goal, making his first significant playoff appearances (he featured briefly for Florida in relief of shell-shocked Sergei Bobrovsky in Game 4 of the Finals vs. Edmonton last June). The Senators have not been able to get their offense untracked and are running out of time to get back into this series...soon it will be too late Play Maple Leafs on Money Line

The Ottawa Senators return home trailing 0-2 in the series, even though they outshot Toronto in both games, with a combined total of 61 shots to Toronto's 45. The Sens outhit the Maple Leafs in both games, 104-58. Ottawa can defeat Toronto, as evidenced by its 3-0 record in the regular season. The atmosphere will be electric for their first postseason home game since 2017. I have to play the home team in this spot.