KANATA — Simon Benoit raised his level to an inflection point after the Toronto Maple Leafs’ spring road trip to California, although depending on who you ask, it may have occurred sooner. Benoit has emerged as an overtime hero in consecutive games for the Maple Leafs, who have pushed their nemesis Ottawa Senators, to the brink of elimination in large part due to the contributions of their ascending defenceman.

It was so loud in the Canadian Tire Centre that you could barely hear yourself think, but this clearly wasn’t a factor for the players. As the Senators’ fan base swayed and rocked in anticipation, during their first home game in eight years, Benoit wired home a shot from the point that may, or may not have taken a deflection on the way in, and the Maple Leafs now hold a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Senators. Benoit also picked off Drake Batherson in Game 2, dropping a pass to Max Domi for the overtime winner, and though he entered the playoffs as the Maple Leafs’ No. 6 defenceman, with some calling for Philippe Myers’ inclusion, he has emerged as an unlikely hero in the Battle of Ontario.

“In the playoffs anything can happen, and I guess luck is a bit on my side now, so I’ll stick with it,” Benoit said post-game.

During a year where the Maple Leafs’ lack of depth contributions was their greatest, or perhaps most constant weakness, Benoit has more than answered the implicit challenge. Benoit has two vital plays in consecutive overtime victories, after recording a goal and 10 points in 78 regular season games. He isn’t tasked with contributing on the scoresheet, but he’s doing all the little things well, and it’s certainly not lost on his teammates.

“He definitely continues to get better,” Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews said, with Benoit by his side at the podium. “He first joined us last year. Obviously, he’s a physical presence defensively, he’s long, he’s got that long stick, he’s a big body. At this time of year, little plays, details and all that stuff really matter. In the last few overtimes, he’s made big plays for our team, he’s came up big on the offensive side of the puck, on the defensive side, so that’s been good to see, you need guys to step up this time of year.”

Before the 26-year-old scored the overtime winner in Game 3, he may preserved the victory. In the final minute of the game, Benoit stepped up with two incredible shot blocks, and during the third period, after Brady Tkachuk notched the equalizer, he was all over the ice. He delivered two shots on net during a shift where John Tavares was dragged down and no penalty was called with, then ripped another shot off the rush four minutes remaining. Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been a strong point of attack defender, and has a key goal of his own, the opening tally from Game 1, and Benoit has matched his partner’s efforts with steady physical play, along with some timely, unexpected offensive contributions.

Benoit brought the house down when affirming that it was the biggest goal of his life. And his life has certainly changed this season, becoming a new father during training camp, where it took him a few months to get adjusted, but he’s certainly thriving and having the time of his life.

“After Christmas, I think I managed to manage all the things happening at home. It’s the best thing that could happen to me, my baby is just fantastic and I have a wonderful girlfriend at home,” Benoit said.

Whether the inflection point in his game occurred in Christmas, or in late March during the California trip as I’ve contended in recent weeks, or during the playoffs, it’s clear that Benoit is playing with renewed confidence, while not trying to play outside of his game.

“It’s always great when a guy like that scores a big goal like that,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said post-game. “Benny has played extremely well for us defensively, he’s hard to play against. He does all those things, so it’s nice when those guys are rewarded with a big goal. Very happy for him.”

Toronto’s vaunted Core Four, Morgan Rielly and Anthony Stolarz are all playing above expectations, and you need your best players to be your best players, as the adage goes. You also need depth contributions, and Simon Benoit is not only playing well above what’s expected from a No. 6 defenceman, he’s quickly etching name into the history of the Battle of Ontario, pushing the Senators to the edge, while embodying the requisite toughness Berube and the new-look Maple Leafs crave from their defencemen.