Ottawa Senators send Leafs packing with victory in Battle of Ontario

The Toronto Maple Leafs' Matias Maccelli collides with the Ottawa Senators' Nick Cousins during the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre on April 15, 2026. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick /The Canadian Press

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SENATORS 3, LEAFS 1

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Next stop is the playoffs for the Ottawa Senators.

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The Senators wrapped up the regular season with a 3-1 victory over the arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs in the final instalment of the Battle of Ontario on Wednesday in front of only 15,919 at the Canadian Tire Centre.

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But as the Senators bid a fond farewell to a successful regular season with a victory over the Leafs, Ottawa is ready to turn the page towards the start of the National Hockey League playoffs.

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Warren Foegele, Drake Batherson, and Dylan Cozens (into an empty net) scored for the Senators. James Reimer made 19 stops against his former club, allowing only a third-period goal by William Nylander.

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“We’re happy we got two points, and we’re focused on the fun stuff,” said Foegele. “Every kid dreams about is getting an opportunity to chase a Stanley Cup. We know that’s where our mindset is right now.”

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With the regular season completed, the Senators will turn their attention to preparing to face the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, which is expected to start on Saturday in Raleigh.

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If that’s the case, the series will continue on Monday at the Lenovo Center before moving back to Ottawa for Game 3 on Thursday and Game 4 next Saturday. The Senators know they have their work cut out for them.

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Getting rested to get ready

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The club was shorthanded for the second straight game after clinching a playoff spot on Saturday.

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The Senators opted to sit captain Brady Tkachuk, centre Tim Stutzle, along with top defencemen Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot for the second straight game to allow them to prepare for the playoffs.

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Rugged winger Michael Amadio was also given the night off, which meant Belleville winger Hayden Hodgson suited up for this one. Stephen Halliday, Kurtis MacDermid, Cameron Crotty, and Dennis Gilberts also played.

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The lineup looked a bit like a pre-season game in October, not the final game of the regular season, but the Senators have earned the right to rest players with a playoff spot clinched.

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There were empty seats and a lot fewer Toronto jerseys than normal.

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Get this over with

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This was one of those nights where you got the sense that both teams couldn’t wait to head for the exits.

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The Senators have a big challenge ahead to prepare for the Hurricanes, while the Leafs will prepare for a long off-season. Through 40 minutes, this game certainly looked that way as well.

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All the Senators wanted to do was make sure nobody else got hurt. They will start the playoffs without defenceman Tyler Kleven and don’t need anyone else on the injured list.

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The shots were 28-11 for the Senators through two periods.

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Foegele scored from the point on the power play to give the Senators a 2-0 lead with 1:06 left in the second by beating Dennis Hildeby on the glove side, and that felt like it might be enough to put this away.