Ottawa Sends Thunder Through the Canadian Tire Centre with 4-3 OT Thriller in Game 4

OTTAWA – The Ottawa Senators refused to go quietly into the night! Jake Sanderson played the overtime hero, rifling home the game-winner at 17:42 to lift the Sens past the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 on a wild Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre.

“It was awesome,” Sanderson said after his wrist shot from the point snuck through heavy traffic and past Anthony Stolarz. “Ending up on the glass with the fans going crazy — just an incredible moment.”

And what a night for the 21-year-old! Sanderson also added an assist, keeping Ottawa’s playoff dream alive as they attempt to claw back into the series.

Gutsy Effort Defines Ottawa’s Night

The Senators battled through everything thrown at them — including a tense four-minute penalty kill in overtime after Drake Batherson’s high-stick on Chris Tanev.

“Anytime you hand Toronto a four-minute power play, you’re in for it,” said coach Travis Green. “Our penalty killers came up huge. Gutsy, gutsy effort.”

Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto each scored their first career playoff goals, David Perron added another, and Linus Ullmark stood tall with 31 saves between the pipes.

Leafs Hang On To Series Lead

John Tavares and Matthew Knies each tallied for the Leafs, while William Nylander chipped in with two assists. Despite the loss, Toronto still leads the best-of-seven series 3-1 and heads back to Scotiabank Arena looking to close it out Tuesday night.

“Our team played hard, we defended hard, did a lot of good things,” Leafs coach Craig Berube said postgame. “Sometimes the bounces just don’t go your way.”

Game Breakdown:

• First Period:
  Tim Stutzle struck first on a power-play one-timer to give Ottawa the 1-0 lead. Shane Pinto doubled it up with a shorthanded beauty after poking the puck past Mitch Marner at the blue line.
  Toronto’s John Tavares answered late to make it 2-1 after 20 minutes.

• Second Period:
  Matthew Knies showed his wheels, catching Ottawa’s defence napping to tie the game 2-2 on a breakaway.

• Third Period:
  David Perron tapped home a gorgeous feed from Artem Zub to put the Sens back in front.
  But the Leafs pushed right back — Oliver Ekman-Larsson one-timed a Nylander cross-ice pass to even things up and force overtime.

• Overtime:
  After killing off Batherson’s double minor, Sanderson sent the Sens fans home happy — and maybe dreaming of a comeback.

Notable Numbers:

• Sanderson becomes just the fourth player in Senators history to stave off elimination with an OT goal.

• The Leafs are now 1-12 in playoff elimination games since 2017.

• Marner leads the series with seven points (one goal, six assists).

Next Up:

It’s do-or-die again as Game 5 shifts to Toronto on Tuesday night — puck drop at 7 p.m. ET!

“We know what’s coming,” Tkachuk said. “Biggest game yet. We’ll be ready.”