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鈥淲e ask the players to be composed, and we talk about it all the time,鈥� Berube said. 鈥淪o that goes for (coaches) too. Sometimes it鈥檚 difficult.鈥�

It鈥檚 particularly difficult in a post-season game where a mistake or two of overexuberance, or general lack of focus, can be the difference between a win and a loss. So let鈥檚 assume Berube would not have been happy that the Leafs gifted the Senators their first lead of the series thanks to offensive-zone penalties by Matthew Knies and William Nylander that led to a five-on-three Ottawa power play. Claude Giroux made it 1-0 therein.

Thankfully for the Leafs, there鈥檚 no such thing as a perfect hockey game. And Thursday night鈥檚 3-2 overtime win didn鈥檛 need to be one to apply a 3-0 stranglehold on this series.

Not long after the Leafs gave up that goal, the Senators gave one right back: Drake Batherson, the guy who wore the goat horns in Game 2, helpfully taking a high-sticking penalty 190 feet from the Ottawa net to give the Leafs the power play that saw Knies tie it 1-1 midway through the second period.

On a night of traded mistakes, there was at least a little room for crucial flourishes of talent. Auston Matthews鈥檚 first goal of these playoffs, off a nifty between-the-legs tip pass from Mitch Marner, was a thing of beauty to make it 2-1. Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk鈥檚 2-2 bullet late in the third period beat Anthony Stolarz on the short side. And Simon Benoit鈥檚 overtime winner, a point shot fired 1:19 into the extra frame, was an answered prayer off a clean Matthews draw.

鈥淚 guess luck is a bit on my side for now, so we鈥檒l stick with it,鈥� said Benoit, who also assisted on Max Domi鈥檚 Game 2 overtime winner.

That鈥檚 two huge points in two big games for a defensive defenceman who registered 10 points in 79 games this season. So, good fortune has clearly been a factor in聽 consecutive extra-frame wins. But there鈥檚 nothing wishful about what the Leafs have become in this series: a team largely keeping to the coach’s plan while generally keeping its collective head, moving on from mistakes rather than wallowing in the shame.

鈥淲e tried to stay as composed as possible. I kind of took a dumb penalty at the end of a period there. That鈥檚 little things you have to learn 鈥� We鈥檝e just got to stay composed and not do any dumb things like that,鈥� said Knies.

Knies may or may not have deflected in the winner that was credited to Benoit, but said with a smile: 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to stay as Benny鈥檚.鈥澛�

The Shanaplan-era Leafs have never been in the situation they find themselves, up 3-0 in a playoff series and looking for their first post-season sweep on Saturday night. But this is the first Berube-coached team of that not-so-successful post-season era. And Berube appears to have the Leafs playing a kind of hockey that鈥檚 different than anything we鈥檝e seen them play before at this time of year. Call it low event. Call it highly risk averse. Call it boring at times. But so far, it鈥檚 been nothing but winning.

Ottawa agitator Ridly Greig pulled out a dubious clich茅 in the lead-up to Thursday鈥檚 game: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a series until somebody loses at home.鈥澛犅�

Well, by that logic it鈥檚 a series now, and it doesn鈥檛 feel like much of one. And it certainly doesn鈥檛 feel familiar. Toronto鈥檚 NHL franchise hasn鈥檛 led 3-0 in a best-of-seven series since 2001. That was also against Ottawa, and ended in a 海角社区官网sweep.

Thursday’s game was the first Ottawa playoff home date in most of eight years, and give the Senators fans credit. They showed up in sufficient numbers that the presence of blue-and-white-clad intruders was hardly as obvious as it sometimes can be. It’s possible the makeup of the crowd will be a little different for Saturday鈥檚 Game 4, mind you. As one disheartened Senators fan said on the way out Thursday: 鈥淪ell your tickets to Leaf fans.鈥�

Not that road games have been a problem for 海角社区官网this season. The Leafs won a franchise-record 25 away games this season. On a night when it felt like the Senators came out swinging聽鈥� the Leafs didn鈥檛 manage their second shot on goal until the game was more than 12 minutes old聽鈥� the Leafs didn鈥檛 exactly dominate; far from it. But they also didn鈥檛 panic, not really. They absorbed Ottawa鈥檚 best body blows, they threw plenty of their own and they kept to the coach鈥檚 script.

As Chris Tanev, the veteran defenceman, said Thursday: 鈥淲e鈥檙e going into battle every night (in the playoffs). Sometimes good things happen, sometimes bad things happen. You have to respond and stay level-headed and stay composed.鈥�

Toronto鈥檚 level-headedness, and the occasional burst of next-level talent, helps explain this series鈥檚 lopsidedness.