Stephen Halliday’s third-period finish gave Ottawa the edge in Toronto on Saturday night, and Linus Ullmark backed it up with 27 saves as the Senators beat the Maple Leafs 3-2.
Ottawa got goals from three different skaters, with Thomas Chabot and Michael Amadio also scoring. Claude Giroux chipped in two assists, while Chabot added one of his own in his first game wearing the captain’s letter.
Toronto answered with goals from Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko, but Sergei Bobrovsky’s 26 saves weren’t enough to keep the Maple Leafs from slipping to 1-2-0.
Chabot got Ottawa on the board late in the first period, striking with 68 seconds left in an even frame. He jumped into the rush and buried the rebound after Giroux redirected Shane Pinto’s first shot.
The Leafs pushed back, and Amadio restored the deadlock at 12:40 of the second by finishing off a 2-on-1 with Tim Stutzle. Then Halliday delivered the decisive goal at 9:46 of the third, scoring just as a penalty expired.
He later added the winner by swatting a loose puck home in Bobrovsky’s crease midway through the final period, again coming as a Marchenko high-sticking penalty was ending.
For Toronto, the night also marked a milestone for John Tavares, who wore a Maple Leafs jersey for the 600th time in the regular season. He became the 25th player in franchise history to reach that mark.
Ottawa improved to 1-0-0 in its first game of the season, while Toronto split its first two after opening with a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens and a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders.
The Senators also had to finish the game without Jake Sanderson, who did not return after appearing to aggravate a nagging injury in the opening period.
There was another notable face on the Toronto bench, too. Associate coach Daniel Alfredsson, who played 17 seasons in Ottawa and spent the last three campaigns as an assistant, was behind the bench against his former team for the first time.
Up next, Ottawa visits the Boston Bruins on Monday, and Toronto hosts the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
In Other News...
Senators Statement Win Over Leafs Came With One Immediate Concern
Thomas Chabots first night wearing the captains letter gave the Senators exactly the kind of lift they were looking for in a rivalry game. He scored and added an assist as Ottawa edged the Maple Leafs 3-2, a statement win that offered plenty for the home side to feel good about after a tight, physical meeting with Toronto.
But the celebration came with an immediate concern for Ottawas blue line. Jake Sanderson left early after re-aggravating a lower-body injury, an unwelcome turn in a game that otherwise had the look of an encouraging reset for the Senators. Travis Green was left to sort through both the positives of the performance and the uncertainty surrounding one of his key defensemen. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Sanderson Puts Ottawa Back In A Worrying Injury Spot
Jake Sandersons injury situation has quietly become one of the more uneasy storylines around Ottawa as the season gets rolling. The young defenseman has been managing an undisclosed issue since training camp, which has already affected his preseason work and his availability for the regular season opener, and the Senators have been careful to offer only limited detail on where things stand.
The worry now is less about one missed day than about how often this has interrupted his rhythm. Sanderson has also missed some practices, and Ottawas concern is easy to understand given how central he is to the blue line. For a team that needs its top defenders available early, every absence only makes the outlook a little harder to read. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Sanderson Injury Clouds Senators Season Opener
Jake Sandersons night ended early in Ottawas season opener, a frustrating development for a Senators blue line that has leaned heavily on the 23-year-old since he broke into the league. The defenseman is in the third season of his eight-year contract with the club, and any interruption to his availability matters for a team trying to set a steadier tone from the opening game on.
Sanderson left after an awkward collision along the boards in the first period and the Senators later confirmed he would not return. The sequence offered an immediate jolt to an opener that was already carrying plenty of emotion, and it leaves Ottawa waiting to see how quickly it can get one of its most important young pieces back on the ice. [Read more 🡒]