"They did a good job selling": Brady Tkachuk, HC Travis Green admit Senators' penalty problem resulted in 6-2 shellacking by Maple Leafs

The Ottawa Senators lost 6-2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs on Sunday at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Ottawa outshot Toronto 33-24 but still came up short, as penalties were a big problem for the Senators.

They took 38 penalty minutes and gave Toronto six power plays. The Maple Leafs scored three times with the man advantage.

Brady Tkachuk spoke to the media after the game, where he shared the reason for the loss.

"Obviously not the result that we want but it's clear as day what the issue is," Tkachuk said. "We took some penalties, they scored on it, and that's the game. That's on us. We got to be more disciplined..."

Tkachuk admitted that the team got careless with their sticks and checks and that they need to stay under control.

"I think we just got a little careless. Sticks, cross-checks, pushes — whatever you want to call it," Tkachuk said. "Sometimes that just happens, but we need to be more disciplined."

Ottawa played a physical game and had more hits than Toronto. The Senators finished with 56 hits compared to 30 by the Maple Leafs. But that physical edge led to penalty trouble. Players like Tim Stützle and Ridly Greig were sent to the box. Other Senators penalized included Adam Gaudette, Drake Batherson, and T.J. Kleven.

Speaking to the press after the game, Senators coach Travis Green also shared his thoughts.

"We definitely have to stay out of the box," Green said, via mapleleafshotstove.com. "I’ll say that. At the end of the game, it can get a little out of hand once in a while.

"I thought there were a couple of calls that they did a good job selling. It’s tough on the refs. We can’t take that many penalties, for sure."

Senators coach Green talked about their 5-on-5 play against Toronto

Toronto made the most of Ottawa’s mistakes. Mitch Marner led the Leafs with three points. Anthony Stolarz stopped 31 shots on goal. Ottawa failed to score on both of its power plays. Their special teams did not match Toronto’s, and that also made a difference in the result.

"We have a lot of guys who haven’t played in the playoffs, but 5-on-5, I liked our game." Green said, via NHL.com.

Game 2 on Tuesday will be important for the Senators. It will also be played in Scotiabank Arena, with many fans in blue jerseys cheering for the Leafs. So the Ottawa players will need to control their emotions, and their physical game must not lead to penalties.