On Ottawa Saturday, the Senators’ Derick Brassard and Mark Stone each struck twice for goals in a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Tonight we got rewarded because we worked really hard the last two games, competed really hard,” Brassard said. “In the 60-minute game, we knew they were going to have a push. They’re one of the best teams in the League. We knew at one point they were going to have a couple of strong shifts.”
Craig Anderson made 28 saves to backstop the Sens to the win.
“They just kind of bore you to death, almost. They’re really good at what they do. You get really anxious. You get the puck, try to get it in or go through guys, and they all collapse on you and they’re going the other way. You’ve got to give credit to them. They play their system really well and we weren’t very good tonight,” Toronto’s Auston Matthews said of the Senators’ scheme.
Nate Thompson and Ryan Dzingelhad single markers for Ottawa in the win.
“That team was almost in the Stanley Cup Final last year,” Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said. “They competed real hard. All they’ve been hearing about is the Leafs, how great they are. They just showed us they’re still the big boys and we’re not quite ready.”
James van Riemsdyk, Auston Matthews and William Nylanderwere the three goal scorers for the Leafs.
The Senators’ Bobby Ryan left the game in the third with a broken finger.
“We lost Bobby early in the third, and Zack [Smith] was also out (upper body), so we were missing two of our top six forwards down the stretch,” Senators head coach Guy Boucher said. “That made it difficult with the way the [Maple] Leafs pushed back in the third. Give them credit, but our guys found a way and showed a lot of character.”
[WATCH: All Maple Leafs vs. Senators highlights]
Frederik Andersen made 29 saves in taking the loss.
“They came out a little bit better than we did. When we started playing in the third, we were the better team. They outsmarted us a little bit today,” Andersen said after the loss.
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