Senators refocusing on special teams, discipline for Game 2 against Maple Leafs

TORONTO -- Whether the Ottawa Senators decide to make personnel changes for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Toronto Maple Leafs remains to be seen.

There is one adjustment, regardless of who is in the lineup, the Senators agree must occur.

"Obviously if you give them so many power plays," forward Tim Stutzle said Monday, "their skill will take over and they have a lot of good players who can make plays, so we just have to stay out of the box."

Special teams made the difference in Ottawa's 6-2 loss in Game 1 on Sunday, when Toronto went 3-for-6 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, ESPN2).

"It's a fine line," Senators coach Travis Green said. "Playoff hockey is emotional, competitive. I like to think we have a physical team and yet there is a fine line between crossing the line and taking penalties."

The Senators outhit the Maple Leafs 56-30 in Game 1 but many of their key young players including forwards Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig and Dylan Cozens, and defensemen Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Artem Zub each played their first Stanley Cup Playoff game.

Did inexperience lead to undisciplined play? Maybe.

"I think we were definitely a little bit nervous coming in," Stutzle said. "The atmosphere was awesome, and it was definitely fun to play in that game, in those kind of situations. I felt like 5-on-5 we played a pretty good game, but we have to stay out of the box and capitalize on our chances."

Goalie Linus Ullmark, who has made the playoffs each of the past four seasons, the prior three with the Boston Bruins, thinks getting a taste of playoff hockey will help those who experienced it for the first time.

"It's not as bad as you think it is, in a way," Ullmark said. "Now you've done the first one, got that one out of the way, you know how it feels.

"You got the jitters or butterflies out. Now it is what it is. It's fun if you have any nerves, it just means you care. It's a good thing to have these nerves but you can't let it take over yourself and let it change the way you play. Now we can come out and feel a little bit better about ourselves in the second one and keep grinding."

The Senators were predominantly pleased with their play at 5-on-5 in Game 1 and for good reason. They outshot the Maple Leafs 30-13 but did not convert in key moments including a breakaway from Tkachuk at 1:10 of the second period and a one-timer from Pinto below the left face-off dot at 3:42, each when the Senators were trailing 2-1. A boarding penalty from Stutzle at 3:58 led to John Tavares' goal at 4:07 that made it 3-1.

Ottawa did not get within one goal again.

"I thought we played well 5-on-5," Green said. "Slot-driving plays, I think we dominated in that area, but they're going to play better, we're going to have to play better. That's the way playoff hockey is, but we're going to have to stay out of the box."

That challenge also extends to the Maple Leafs, more so with the frustration they expressed about Greig's play in Game 1. The Senators forward was initially assessed a five-minute major penalty for cross-checking Tavares near the head at 6:00 of the second that was ultimately reduced to a two-minute minor upon review. Later in the game, Greig skated to the net and made hard contact with goalie Anthony Stolarz, driving him back into the goal post.

"It's definitely annoying," Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies said. "I think we are going to play hard on him and not make it easy for him the rest of the way."

Toronto coach Craig Berube cautioned about resisting the temptation to retaliate, despite admitting he sometimes struggled with that concept during his playing career.

"That stuff is going to happen, and you've got to be disciplined as best you can," Berube said. "Going to keep preaching it. The League and the referees will take care of it. That's their job."