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The Toronto Maple Leafs are one Game 4 win away from sweeping the Ottawa Senators and advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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As regulation ended, Benoit did as he’s done all season, putting his body on the line and blocking two shots close to goal. Both shots looked to leave the Leafs’ defenceman hobbled.
Turns out, he was just fine. He seemed to use the evident adrenaline rush to score his first career playoff goal with a powerful seeing-eye point shot just 1:19 into overtime.
This was the definition of how Leafs coach Craig Berube envisions his offence: simple and direct. Benoit could have moved the puck around looking for a forward, but instead threw the puck at the net. Good things seem to happen for the Leafs this series when they do that.
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Simon Benoit entered the annals of Toronto Maple Leafs playoff lore with his overtime winner in Game 3. The faceoff win from Auston Matthews in the attacking zone, followed by Benoit's blast that went through traffic and into the back of the net, makes the Leafs defenseman an unlikely playoff hero.
Watch the play below.
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By Joshua Kloke and Julian McKenzie
The latest Battle of Ontario is in a familiar spot, with the Ottawa Senators teetering on the brink of elimination.
In the first playoff game in Ottawa since 2017, a raucous crowd couldn’t push the Senators to their first win of the series. Instead, the Maple Leafs kept their head above water through a testy first two periods and then in overtime, when Simon Benoit emerged as the unlikely hero with a slap shot from the point.
Benoit‘s goal gave the Leafs their second consecutive 3-2 overtime win and a 3-0 series lead.
The Leafs did as they’ve done all series, keeping the Senators to the outside. And they got contributions they needed from their best players, which made the difference.
The Senators faithful deserve full marks for showing up and getting loud amid fears the Canadian Tire Centre would be taken over by Leafs fans. Yet with the results in the series now being as one-sided as they are, it certainly feels like those same Senators fans might get just one more home game this series.
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Will the Maple Leafs pull off the sweep, or will the Senators find a way to get back in this series?
How far can the winner of this series go in the playoffs?
Send us your answers to these questions, or any thoughts you have, or any questions of your own, or just say hello!
You can email us at live@theathletic.com or, if you're a subscriber to The Athletic, you can also join the discussion page for this game here.
We'll share some of your comments in this blog so get typing!
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Game 4 of the Maple Leafs and Senators is on TBS in the United States.
In Canada, the Battle of Ontario is on Sportsnet/CBC. Chris Cuthbert (play-by-play), Craig Simpson (color) and Kyle Bukauskas (reporter) will be calling this game.
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Tonight's Game 4 between the Maple Leafs and Senators is 7 p.m. ET. That's 4 p.m. PT.
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Greetings hockey fans! Welcome to The Athletic's live coverage of Game 4 for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Leafs are up 3-0 in the series. They are on the verge of advancing to the second round. Can Toronto pull off the sweep or will Ottawa force a Game 5?
Follow along as we build up toward tonight's game.

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