THE BUZZ HAS RETURNED IN THE BATTLE OF ONTARIO

Maple Leafs’ improvement raises the stakes in rivalry with Senators, writes Bruce Garrioch.

Finally, a Battle of Ontario with meaning.

As the Ottawa Senators prepare to face off today against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Round 1 of the provincial rivalry, there are two points on the line that will come in handy when the NHL hands out playoff spots at the final buzzer in April.

After a trip to the Eastern Conference final for the first time in a decade this past spring, the Senators are trying to get back to the playoffs again, while the Leafs, led by superstar centre Auston Matthews, look like they could be on the verge of something special after getting off to a 6-1-0 start.

There have been a lot of lean years when these games didn’t mean much. That’s not the case anymore.

“The Battle of Ontario is special every time you play just because of the rivalry itself,” Senators alternate captain Dion Phaneuf, who has been on both sides of this battle, said Friday after a 35-minute practice.

“Now, the points are so important because the teams are both competitive and both trying to finish as high as they possibly can. It’s great to be part of these games as a player. They’re fun to be a part of the atmosphere. Whether they’re in Ottawa or Toronto, they’re great.”

Not everybody has had the chance to experience first hand the rivalry between the Senators and the Leafs. Ottawa hasn’t played before a full house at Canadian Tire Centre yet this season, but ticket sales have been brisk for this one. If it isn’t sold out tonight, it will be pretty close. Senators winger Alex Burrows, dealt to Ottawa from the Vancouver Canucks before the trade deadline in February, couldn’t hide his excitement at the chance to play in the kind of atmosphere that surrounds the Battle of Ontario.

“These are the games that are easy to wake up for because you’re looking forward to those kinds of matchups,” said Burrows, who scored his 200th career goal in the Senators’ 5-4 overtime loss to New Jersey on Thursday. “There’s going to be a real buzz in the building, there’s going to be a lot of energy in the building.”

The Senators finished 3-1-0 against the Leafs last season and there’s a pretty good chance both teams will be in the playoffs next spring. They haven’t had a playoff series against each other since before the lockout of 2004-05, but there’s just something special that surrounds every game between these two teams.

It does help that the Leafs have Matthews and are considered a Stanley Cup contender under coach Mike Babcock. The Senators are 0-1-3 on home ice this season and, quite frankly, given the expectations for Toronto, this game could be looked at as a measuring stick for Ottawa.

“It’s a divisional game, they’re four-point swings and we know the importance of the points and Toronto has started very well,” said Phaneuf, a former Leafs captain. Phaneuf, who was drafted into the NHL by the Calgary Flames, said he’s fortunate that he’s gotten to participate in both the Battle of Alberta between Calgary and the Edmonton Oilers and the Battle of Ontario.

“I”m lucky to be able to say I’ve gotten to participate in both of those rivalries because they’re similar,” Phaneuf said. “Both cities are very competitive, it’s a battle of provinces and there’s a lot of pride involved with the fan base.” Let the Battle of Ontario officially begin.