In Toronto, the Maple Leafs scored twice in the opening period on Saturday night and then held on for a 3-1 win over the visiting Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Wayne Simmonds and Alexander Kerfoot scored for the early 2-0 lead for the Leafs.
“Our team started off fast tonight after three games,” Simmonds said. “I think we set the tone from the start of the game and we kept rolling.”
Jack Campbell made 20 saves to get the victory.
“I just thought I was OK but I thought the team was amazing and did exactly what we needed to do after our last game in Ottawa,” Campbell said. “It just wasn’t my A-game tonight but we got a win and feel good about getting the win. I’m not beating myself up over it but I expect some areas of my game to be better, so I’ll sharpen those up tomorrow.”
Ottawa’s Josh Norris scored in the middle frame to get the Sens within one.
“Their fourth line scored on our fourth line,” Ottawa head coach D.J. Smith said. “That changed the game. In the second and third, we played as hard as you have to play to win a game in the National Hockey League, but you can’t feel your way into a game on the road, and we did that. At the end of the day, that was the difference, the 2-0 lead was the difference. We had some guys not play hard enough early, guys that have been in the league that have to lead by example for our young guys.”
Michael Bunting scored for the Leafs in the third period to ice the win.
“Definitely a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Bunting said. “It was a cool experience to get one at home for my first one and celebrate in front of the crowd. I’m pretty much speechless about it, to look up and see all those Maple Leaf jerseys in the crowd cheering and knowing they were cheering for me. For a kid growing up in Scarborough (Ontario) not too far from here, it was definitely a dream come true.”
Anton Forsberg made 26 saves in the loss.
“It wasn’t the start we wanted,” the Senators’ Drake Batherson said. “In the second period, I thought we pressed and were back into the game there, but they got a big goal late. We’ll bounce back tomorrow against the Dallas Stars and have a better one.”
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