Ottawa Senators vs Toronto Maple Leafs: Game 1 preview, predictions and odds | Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1, April 20, 2025

By Cole Shelton

Modified Apr 20, 2025 14:33 GMT

NHL: Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs - Source: Imagn — Ottawa Senators vs Toronto Maple Leafs: Game 1 preview, predictions and odds | Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1, April 20, 2025 - Source: Imagn

The Battle of Ontario goes down in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs as the Ottawa Senators take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Ottawa finished with the first Wild Card spot with a record of 45-30-7. Toronto, meanwhile, won the Atlantic with a record of 52-26-4.

Senators vs Maple Leafs: Head-to-head & key stats

Ottawa went 3-0 against Toronto this season
The Senators are averaging 2.95 goals per game
Toronto is 27-13-1 at home
Ottawa is allowing 2.82 goals per game
The Maple Leafs are averaging 3.25 goals per game
The Sens are 18-19-4 on the road
Toronto is allowing 2.79 goals per game

Ottawa Senators vs Toronto Maple Leafs: Preview

Ottawa ended its playoff drought and now takes on Toronto, whom they swept in the regular season. The Senators are led by Tim Stutzle, who has 79 points. Moreover, Drake Batherson has 68 points, Jake Sanderson has 57 points, Brady Tkachuk has 55 points and Claude Giroux has 50 points.

The Senators will start Linus Ullmark, who's 25-14-3 with a 2.72 GAA and a .909 SV%. In his career against Toronto, he's 6-5-1 with a 2.86 GAA and a .905 SV%.

Toronto, meanwhile, enters the playoffs with plenty of hype and sky-high expectations. The Maple Leafs are led by Mitch Marner with 102 points, William Nylander (84 points), Auston Matthews (78) and John Tavares (74).

The Maple Leafs will start Anthony Stolarz, who's 21-8-3 with a 2.14 GAA and a .926 SV%. This will be his first career playoff start. In his career against Ottawa, he's 2-4 with a 2.55 GAA and a .918 SV%.

Senators vs Maple Leafs: Odds & Prediction

Ottawa is a +136 underdog while Toronto is a -162 favorite and the over/under is set at 5.5 goals.

The Senators swept the Leafs in the regular season but the playoffs are a different story. For a lot of players on Ottawa, this is their first time in the playoffs, but this will also be Stolarz's first playoff start.

Both goalies have been stellar this season, but Toronto will edge out the win at home here as their potent offense is the difference.

Prediction: Maple Leafs 4, Senators 2.

Senators vs Maple Leafs: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Toronto ML (-162)

Tip 2: Over 5.5 goals (-110)

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton