The Maple Leafs are set to get an early test in their first Battle of Ontario of the season, and the matchup just got a lot more complicated for Toronto.
Ottawa is expected to have Jake Sanderson back in the lineup Saturday night, giving the Senators a major boost as the rivalry game arrives. The Maple Leafs have already played two games and are in the middle of an early home stretch, while the Senators are only now opening their season, so Toronto has at least had a head start in the regular-season rhythm. But that edge looks thinner with Sanderson on the way back.
According to the Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch, Ottawa will also welcome forward Warren Foegele back into the fold. Travis Green confirmed that Foegele will be activated from the club's injured reserve to suit up against the Leafs.
Sanderson’s return is the bigger swing. He hadn’t skated with teammates since leaving last Saturday’s final pre-season game against the Montreal Canadiens, but he was on the ice for a third straight day Friday and worked on the club’s top pair with Nikolas Matinpalo. That lines up with the expectation that he will play.
For Ottawa, that means getting back its most important defenseman and best offensive blue-liner. Sanderson posted 14 goals and 54 points in 67 games last season, added 128 hits, and averaged nearly 25 minutes of ice time. That kind of workload matters in a game that already figures to be intense.
Toronto, meanwhile, will need its top names to start driving the offense. Auston Matthews and John Tavares have yet to score, Darren Raddysh needs to start using his shot more, and Gavin McKenna needs the first-point monkey off his back. Kirill Marchenko has been thrust into the mix and has done surprisingly well, but the Leafs still need more from the core.
The good news for Toronto is that Brady Tkachuk won’t be in the lineup tonight, removing one of Ottawa’s most difficult problems for the Leafs to handle. Toronto has also had a solid record against Ottawa lately. Still, the Senators come in with a different look, and Sanderson’s presence is a big reason this one feels tougher than it might have a few days ago.
Ottawa will also have extra edge after Daniel Alfredsson left to join the Maple Leafs, a move that adds another layer to an already heated rivalry.
If Toronto wants to control this one, it starts with keeping Sanderson from dictating play. That may be the biggest challenge in Saturday night’s Battle of Ontario.
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