Mitch Marner and his Maple Leafs have never had offensive issues in the regular season.
It’s been a different matter entirely when the calender flips to spring.
Toronto entered Sunday having put up two goals or less in 13 of its previous 14 playoff games. Last year’s series against the Boston Bruins saw the club connect on just one of 21 power plays in a seven-game defeat.
For at least one night, the dam burst for a star-studded roster with designs on finally making a deep run.
Marner had a goal and two assists as the Leafs dumped the Ottawa Senators 6-2 to take Game 1 of their opening-round series — the first playoff Battle of Ontario in more than two decades.
“We think of wins,” Marner said of filling Linus Ullmark’s net. “We’ve got to look forward to the next one.”
William Nylander and John Tavares, with a goal …