Senators best Maple Leafs back-to-back

The Ottawa Senators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second game in a row as the team emerged victorious by a score of 2-1 in the first home preseason game of the season.

Defenceman Jake Sanderson scored the opening goal of the game for the Senators, while forward Zack Ostapchuk scored shorthanded to secure the Senators’ victory.

Scoring opened at 6:29 of the first period with an opening goal from the Maple Leafs scored by Alex Steeves, giving Toronto its first and only lead of the night.

Ten minutes later, the Senators responded, as Sanderson scored top post on Maple Leafs’ goaltender Anthony Stolarz to tie the game at 1-1. Forwards Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux earned assists on the goal. The remainder of the first period remained scoreless to close out at a tie.

“We started off a little slow, but then I think we showed what our identity’s going to be and played a full 60 minutes right to the end,” said captain Brady Tkachuk. “We’re not just going to sit back, we’re going to still hound on pucks, still play the right way, get them in, and keep cycling.”

The Senators and Maple Leafs were both held scoreless in the second period, but captain Brady Tkachuk made sure to keep fans entertained as he ignited some fire in the game to make things chippier. Partway through the period, Anthony Stolarz was replaced in net for the Maple Leafs by Dennis Hildeby.

“Pretty choppy, but when you can come out on the right side of things it feels that much better,” forward Nick Cousins said. “Sometimes it’s not the prettiest, but it’s a style of play that works and it’s not fun to play against.”

Heading into the third period tied, the Senators broke the stalemate at 12:36 of the third period as Zack Ostapchuk stole the puck from Nicolas Mattinen to score the go-ahead goal shorthanded.

“It definitely felt good,” Ostapchuk said when asked about his game-winning goal. “I was just trying to put a little pressure on [Hildeby] and was lucky to have my stick in that spot and I just saw backhand.”

The Senators defence stood strong to maintain the lead through the latter half of the third period, which saw the Senators take wins from both the home and away games against Toronto.

“I liked our effort tonight,” spoke Tkachuk. “I think it’s going to continue to keep improving throughout this camp.”

Fans can catch the Senators in action again this Thursday, September 26, at 7:00 p.m. ET as the team takes on the Buffalo Sabres in the third preseason game of the season. Tickets to the game are available HERE!

Postgame Availabilities:

For continued Ottawa Senators coverage, follow the Ottawa Senators' socials and on the web.

Ottawa Senators official site: https://www.nhl.com/senators/

Follow the Senators on Instagram: senators

Engage with the Senators on X: @Senators

Like the Senators on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ottawasenators