Maple Leafs Identify Shortcomings in OT Loss to Senators in Game 4

The Toronto Maple Leafs had a chance to close things out in short order last night, but were undone in overtime when Jake Sanderson's lengthy point shot beat Anthony Stolarz through a ton of traffic to force a Game 5.

The Ottawa Senators fought valiantly from start to finish, and despite just firing 4 shots on goal in the final 40 minutes of regulation, they were able to strike when the iron was hot and get out of the game with the victory.

While the Maple Leafs didn't play a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, there was one specific aspect to their game that came undone last night and Craig Berube believes that was the difference in a pivotal close-out situation.

Through the first three games of the series the Maple Leafs held a comfortable edge in the special teams department with the power play having converted 5 times on 9 attempts and their penalty kill having been successful 7 out of 9 times.

However, the Senators took the cake in Game 4 after opening the game with a power play goal before jumping out to a 2-0 lead with a shorthanded tally from Shane Pinto. The Leafs were 0-2 on the power play during regulation before whiffing on a 4-minute man advantage in overtime, which swayed all of the momentum in favour of the home team.

While the Leafs fired 5 shots on goal during the double-minor and had a few close calls, like Auston Matthews' shot that hit the post, they were without a key contributor in John Tavares who was in the dressing room nursing an injury at the time.

The first unit looked a little out of sorts without Tavares on the ice and once the penalty was killed, Ottawa looked to have found a second burst of energy before Sanderson's game-winning tally.

Special teams has been a topic of discussion since Game 1 when the Leafs were given 6 power play opportunities. There's been several missed calls from the referees, especially at clutch times during the game, but last night, the Senators proved to be the superior team with a goal apiece from both units.

Look for Game 5 to bring about the same level of energy as the scene shifts back to Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The Maple Leafs' vaunted power play will want to make amends for an 0-for-4 night as well as a missed opportunity in overtime to seal the series sweep.