TORONTO - The usually stoic Dion Phaneuf looked like he had tears in his eyes as he was welcomed back with open arms to the Air Canada Centre Saturday night.
At the end, he wore a smile as the Senators headed home with the two points.
It wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination, but the Senators made his return to Toronto a success as Ottawa kept its slim playoff hopes alive by moving within five points of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild-card spot with a 3-2 victory over the arch-rival Maple Leafs in the Battle of Ontario.