Senators stars, head coach boldly embrace 'underdog role' ahead of Round 1 battle against Maple Leafs

The Ottawa Senators are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Their last trip to the postseason ended heartbreakingly, as the Sens came one goal away from making the Stanley Cup Final in 2016-17. Ottawa fell 3-2 in double overtime to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals and has not been back since.

It's now a completely new group from that 2016-17 team, and this core is eager to write their own chapter in the playoffs starting on Sunday night. They are heading into the Battle of Ontario for a first-round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Senators know they're the underdog in this series, but they're embracing it and are ready to knock off their bitter rivals.

Captain Brady Tkachuk and head coach Travis Green spoke on Sunday morning and took on all the doubters heading into Game 1. TSN Maple Leafs reporter Mark Masters shared their comments on X (formerly Twitter).

"From what I’ve been seeing everybody’s got the Leafs so important for us to [embrace] an underdog role. That’s when we thrive," Tkachuk said.

"No secret most of you probably picked Toronto, but we have a lot of inner belief & still gotta play the games," Green said.

While the Maple Leafs are the favorites and finished 11 points higher in the regular season standings, the Senators will be a very tough out in round one. It's well documented that Ottawa won all three matchups during the 2024-25 campaign, and they did so in convincing fashion.

The Senators know the pressure lies on the Maple Leafs

The Ottawa Senators are underdogs, which, to their advantage, puts all of the pressure on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Former Maple Leaf, now Sens head coach Travis Green knows particularly well the demand of the Toronto market. TSN Maple Leafs reporter Mark Masters shared more of his comments on X (formerly Twitter).

"There’s pressure. I think, especially in this series there’s outside pressure, there’s outside noise. I remember it from playing here how much pressure there is. That’s the exciting part, though. I know for our group it’s exciting," Green said.

Toronto's lack of playoff success with this core group of players, combined with the high expectations from the fan base, creates a pressure cooker of an environment.

It all begins on Sunday night, as the Senators and Maple Leafs battle in Game 1 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in Toronto. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at Scotiabank Arena.