Dylan Cozens from Whitehorse netted his first playoff goal for the NHL Ottawa Senators in Game 5 of the first round of playoffs in the 2025 Stanley Cup tournament against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Cozens scored his first goal of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the third period of Game 5 on April 29, increasing the score to 2-0 Ottawa. He netted a shorthanded glove-side shot, assisted by Adam Gaudette, who intercepted the puck in their own zone, carried it across the ice, and set up Cozens for the shot.
“Gaudette made a great read and picked it off and it was good poise by him to let me get up the ice. You know, he made a great pass, and I just shot it,” Cozens said to reporters on April 29.
Gaudette led the two-on-one breakaway following a misplaced goal by Maple Leafs player Scott Laughton, which sent players scrambling for control of the puck. The Ottawa Senators won Game 5 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs 4-0 on April 29.
The Maple Leafs are leading the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Ottawa Senators 3-2. If the Maple Leafs win Game 6 on May 1, the Ottawa Senators will be eliminated from the tournament.
If the Ottawa Senators equalize the score in Game 6, Game 7 will be held on May 3.
“We try not to panic too much, and when we’re up the line, you can kind of sit back and let them put on the pressure. We talked a lot about trying to stay aggressive and not sitting back, just trying to hold onto the lead, trying to get the next goal,” Cozens said to reporters.
The Maple Leafs won the first three games of the first round of playoffs in the Stanley Cup Eastern Conference with scores of 6-2, 3-2 and 3-2. The Ottawa Senators won Games 4 and 5 with scores of 4-3 and 4-0.
The sixth game, which determines whether the Ottawa Senators are eliminated from the Stanley Cup tournament, is scheduled for May 1 at 4 p.m.
Contact Jake Howarth at jake.howarth@yukon-news.com
