While the Maple Leafs are making their ninth consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Senators are in the postseason for the first time since 2017 when they lost in double overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

This was the Senators' final tune-up before the playoffs, and fans suffered a late scare when captain Brady Tkachuk was forced off the ice in the second period and did not return for the third after taking a stick to the face.

The Ottawa Senators closed out the 2024-25 regular season with an unconventional 7-5 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Senators vaulted to a 3-0 first-period lead, but the Hurricanes, playing without six regulars,