Leafs bounce back for 2-1 win
Third-period goal is the difference as teams tighten up in Battle of Ontario rematch
LEAFS 2, SENATORS 1
The Ottawa Senators weren't able to script a miracle comeback in this version of the Battle of Ontario.
Make no mistake, the Senators gave the archrival Toronto Maple Leafs everything they could handle, but came up short with a 2-1 loss Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena.
Only Brady Tkachuk was able to beat Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen as the Senators tried to win their third straight for the first time since November 2019.
Auston Matthews and Alex Kerfoot scored for the Leafs as Matt Murray returned to the Senators' net after missing two games with a neck strain. The shots were 28-28.
After a historic comeback from a 5-1 deficit Monday to score a 6-5 overtime victory in the opener of this series, the Senators knew it wasn't in their best interests to spot the Leafs a four-goal lead. Instead, they wanted to start this one the way they finished Monday: by playing strong defensively and scoring timely goals.
“I thought it was a very good game. The chances were probably even, we got into some penalty trouble, and we didn't make some plays in the third we should have made and we got hemmed in our zone,” said Ottawa coach D.J. Smith. “We did a lot of great things and we had every chance to win.
“I thought we did a lot of great things. We broke the puck out well, we skated, we had our chances, and they won tonight but it could have gone either way.”
For the most part, the Senators did that, but the Leafs charged back hard in the third period.
Not long after Ottawa killed woff a penalty, Kerfoot's third of the season at 10:46 of the third gave the Leafs the lead, and suddenly the Senators were fighting an uphill battle.
Even with no fans in the seats, the rivalry between these two teams brings out the best in the Senators most nights, and this was no different. The Senators were hustling, limiting the chances on Murray and just making it as difficult as possible.
The Senators weren't able to take advantage of a late power play in the third, and that turned out to be the difference in this one. Ottawa has improved at both ends of the ice but until the club can find its touch around the net consistently, it's going to be tough for them to win games.
With the score tied 1-1 after two periods, the Senators were right where they wanted to be. They had outshot the Leafs 22-18 and kept up the physical battle as well, outhitting Toronto 25-8.
They had picked up where they had left off in the last game and deserved to be in the position they were in.
Trailing 1-0 with 1:09 left in the second period, Tkachuk tied it up with his fifth of the season and 100th career point as he beat a backchecking Matthews to the net to beat Andersen on the stick side after a perfect feed across the slot from Chris Tierney. That was exactly what the Senators needed.
“We pride ourselves on being fast and being physical — that's important for us. There's a lot of skill on that team and we've got to make life tough on the other team,” said Tkachuk. “We definitely pride ourselves on being tough to play against.”
Murray had no chance on Matthews' 14th of the season. He blasted a one-timer by Murray at 4:41 of the second to open the night's scoring. You can't give him that kind of time to tee it up the way he did because Matthews is going to make you pay just about every time. He has 17 goals in 19 career games versus Ottawa.
That came only seconds after Joe Thornton had what he thought his second goal of the game called back. He had deflected a shot past Murray with a high stick and the officials didn't even bother going upstairs.
After playing to a scoreless tie through 20 minutes, the Senators outshot the Leafs 10-5, but couldn't beat Andersen. Ottawa will look at it as a good road period, especially after the way the Senators started that game Monday night, and on this night they did a good job shutting down one of the NHL's best teams.
The Senators did have a little bit of a scare with only 2.2 seconds left in the first. Thornton, 41, tried to convince the officials he scored a goal when he pushed the puck and Murray's pad into the net. Of course, some would argue the puck was loose, but that wasn't the case. It was waved off immediately.
“I was joking around with him. I said, `Joe you've played in this league a long time you should know you can't do that,'” Murray said with a chuckle. “He knew, he was just trying to plead his case. But the referee made the right call.”
Ottawa will complete this series Thursday night at 7 p.m. and judging by the first two games, it's likely going to be another close one.
“If we can consistently play the way we have the last six games or so, the results are going to come,” said centre Derek Stepan. “There's a lot of real positives to take each night.”