"He works. Every day he's in shape," Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said. "So, when you train that hard, when you've got humidity and it's hot, and the fans are back, in the third period you don't fatigue. He just looked confident tonight. The goals they got are Grade A."
It was the first time Forsberg had started an NHL opener in his six seasons. His saves were an NHL career high.
"You're a little bit more tense than normal, coming into the season opener," the 28-year-old said. "Preseason games [are] one thing, but it's a different level of compete in the regular season."
Jason Spezza had a goal and an assist, and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs (1-1-0). Jack Campbell made 10 saves after replacing Petr Mrazek, who allowed three goals on 26 shots before leaving with a groin injury.
"I love the way the team never gave up," Campbell said. "We just kept battling, and their goalie made a lot of great saves."
Alex Formenton, Tyler Ennis and Chris Tierney scored first-period goals for the Senators, who were without forward Brady Tkachuk. Hours before puck drop, Tkachuk, who missed training camp, signed a seven-year, $57.5 million contract (average annual value of $8.2 million).
"We showed we can really play hockey tonight against a really good team, and Brady will help us a lot more," Senators forward Tim Stutzle said. "He's a really good player, but he's an even better person off the ice. Having him back, as a friend, is really, really good."
Tierney redirected a centering pass from Nick Holden with his skate to give the Senators a 1-0 lead at 8:31 of the first period. Thomas Chabot's point shot deflected off Ennis' chest to make it 2-0 at 18:58.
