Maple Leafs’ fans gave Auston Matthews a standing ovation when he was recognized for his gold medal victory before Saturday night’s game against Ottawa. It was one of the few times the home crowd had a chance to applaud, as Toronto dropped its third straight game, losing to the Senators 5-2 at Scotiabank Arena
After a disastrous two-game road trip, the Maple Leafs were back on home ice for an Atlantic Division tilt against the rival Senators. The familiar surroundings offered little comfort, however, as Ottawa laid a beating on the flaying Leafs
On a positive note, Toronto did manage to get on the board first, scoring 2:52 into period one. Morgan Rielly notched his 8th of the season. The Toronto blue-liner slipped behind the Senators’ defence, took a feed from Auston Matthews, and ripped a shot by Sens goalie Linus Ullmark for the 1-0 lead.
Thatās about where the highlights ended. Toronto was outshot 16 – 2 in the opening period. One of those attempts, a Thomas Chabot rifle from between the circles, beat Joseph Woll and tied the game at 10:59. Woll was able to kick out the rest, but there was no reprieve in the second.
Ottawa kept the pressure on, and Dylan Cozens broke the tie 3:03 into the middle frame, banking home a Chabot rebound to make it 2-1. Then at 13:03, Drake Batherson extended the lead with his 20th of the season. Batherson was the benefactor of a Leafs’ turnover deep in their zone. After a flurry of Ottawa shots, Matthews and Jake McCabe flubbed a clearing attempt, allowing Batherson to gather the puck at point-blank range and beat Woll to make it 3-1
Toronto winger William Nylander, responded less than a minute later, tucking home the puck by Ullmark after a scramble in front of the net. Nylanderās 19th of the season kept the game close for a brief moment before the Ottawa onslaught continued. Batherson scored his second of the game at 15:15. Claude Geroux bumped Matthew Knies off the puck just outside the Leafsā blue line. Batherson scooped it up, went in on Woll and buried it to make it 4-2. Cozens added A power play goal at 16:06 to stretch the margin to 5-2.
Frustrations boiled over in the third period, with a line brawl breaking out at the 3:34 mark. The Senators tried to slam home a puck in front of subbed-in goalie Anthony Stolarz, tempers flared, and punches were thrown, but the aggression did little to change the outcome as neither team scored in the last twenty minutes. The final score Ottawa 5, Toronto 2.
Next up, Toronto squares off against the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.
