Maple Leafs Take Commanding Series Lead Against Senators

The Toronto Maple Leafs have taken a commanding lead over the Ottawa Senators in their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series. The Battle of Ontario shifted to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4, but it didn't give the Senators the home ice advantage they had hoped for. The Leafs stormed into Canadian Tire Centre and stole a Game 3 victory. As a result, the Senators are on the brink of elimination in the opening round.

It was a huge play from a Maple Leafs defender that earned the Leafs the win. A face-off win from captain Auston Matthews set up defenseman Simon Benoit and gave him all the space he needed to blast a shot home from the point.

The Maple Leafs are in complete control now that they've taken a 3-0 series lead over the Senators. It's been a closer series than the Leafs' lead suggests, but that doesn't change the reality of the situation.

The moral victory of sticking close isn't worth any wins in the series, and the Sens are running out of time. With one more loss, they will be eliminated, and the Leafs will be the first team to advance to the second round.

In order for the Senators to have any chance, they'll need to find a way to beat Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz. He's been excellent in the first three games. If they are unable to solve him in Game 4, it could mean a series sweep for Toronto.

Coming back from a 0-3 deficit is a nearly impossible task in the NHL. It's happened just four times in the history of the league, with the last occurrence in 2014. The Los Angeles Kings dropped the first three games of their first-round series against the San Jose Sharks, but won four straight to advance and ultimately won the Stanley Cup.