Score the Battle of Ontario 2-0 for the Ottawa Senators after Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Maple Leafs, with just one goal, so far, for Toronto in this year’s series.
Our takeaways after a frustrating night on the offensive side for the Blue and White when their travelling show came expecting fireworks.
PARLIAMENT HILL A MOUNTAIN
That’s four straight wins for Ottawa against the Leafs, making one wonder how a playoff series between these two would shape up if the Sens ever squeezed into a wild-card spot.
The Canadian Tire Centre, no matter if packed with Leafs fans, is a tough two points. A couple of Senators mentioned before the game how all those blue and white sweaters in the crowd get them just as pumped as the visiting team.
When it comes to facing Toronto, it seems all of Ottawa’s strengths come to the forefront — Tim Stutzle breaking out of a scoring slump with the Senators’ first goal, Brady Tkachuk getting under Toronto’s skin and Anton Forsberg playing a little better than Joseph Woll.
They also got the bounce they needed on the winner midway through the third period, the Leafs not risking their excellent record on challenges in the hope they could pull Joseph Woll and salvage at least a point.
SECONDARY SCORING SHRINKS
It’s back to an old bugaboo for the Leafs: What to do when Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander can’t do it all and now Matthew Knies is hurt. Matthews had the only goal in Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to Columbus, but didn’t get a shot on goal Saturday until the third period.
New linemate Bobby McMann with Matthews and Marner did connect on the only goal, but Max Domi and Nick Robertson are flailing away. Domi is without a goal since well before Christmas, Robertson has three. Yes, it doesn’t help that the lengthening injury list now includes Knies and second-line centre John Tavares.
That’s moved Pontus Holmberg up, which might be fine defensively, but he’s had a few chances slither off his stick, as well. Max Pacioretty is on IR, too as the trade deadline gets closer and general manager Brad Treliving is seriously considers depth options.
The activated defence continues to keep goals and shots down, but they aren’t exactly filling the net, either.
“It’s a pretty simple formula when you think about it,” Jake McCabe said. “We defencemen have to find a way to deliver pucks when we do have a lane. (With) not just one forward, but a couple getting there and causing chaos.”
DON’T LEAVE YOUR POST
David Kampf couldn’t resist the sight of a new stick being dangled at the Leafs bench when his own busted on a shot block during a 4–on-3.
Maybe the centre had faith that Joseph Woll would hold the fort or perhaps he’d heard in the pre-game meeting that Ottawa’s power play was in a 1-for-20 slump. At any rate, Kampf opened up Olympic-sized ice for a two-man Sens advantage when he dashed off for a new stick, leaving defencemen McCabe and Chris Tanev.
Stutzle, with just two points in six games, found a short-side hole on Woll.
As for Shane Pinto’s winner, that was an unfortunate assist Marner would dearly love to give back as he nears 500 in his career.
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