Maple Leafs Make Last-Minute Roster Transaction Hours Ahead of Battle of Ontario

The Ottawa Senators' postseason officially begins tonight when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in game one of the first round. Puck drop at Scotiabank Arena is set for just after 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Leafs finished their regular season with a win of their own on Thursday, defeating the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 4-3 in overtime. In preparation for the playoffs, they have called up goaltender Artur Akhtyamov.

This is usually done as a precautionary measure for the playoffs, as the Senators recently did the same thing by calling up goaltender Leevi Merilainen.

The Senators and Maple Leafs battled one another three times during the regular season, and Ottawa swept the series with three wins.

Their first encounter on November 12 was a 3-0 shutout win for the Senators, who scored goals from Josh Norris, who is now a member of the Buffalo Sabres, Tim Stützle, and Michael Amadio. Linus Ullmark recorded 27 saves.

The rivalry then carried over on January 25 at the Canadian Tire Centre, where Ottawa edged out Toronto 2-1. Stützle and Shane Pinto scored, as Anton Forsberg made an unbelievable appearance with 28 saves and a .966 save percentage.

Their third and final regular-season meeting took place in Toronto on March 15, with the Senators earning a 4-2 win. Jake Sanderson, David Perron, Claude Giroux, and Amadio tallied, and Ullmark made 21 saves.

The Battle of Ontario always makes for drama, but with playoff stakes, expect the two teams to play even higher tonight.