It was a cagey affair but the first instalment of this year’s Battle of Ontario saw both sides trade blows, and this geopolitical rivalry has real teeth again.
The new-look Ottawa Senators threw everything they could at the Toronto Maple Leafs and then some, but after a valiant effort from the road side, Toronto emerged with a 3-2 victory. Justin Holl, who drew the ire of Maple Leafs fans through the first two games, crashed the net aggressively and banged home the winner with just under two minutes remaining in the third period.
Toronto’s Ilya Samsonov made 26 stops in the winning effort while Ottawa’s Anton Forsberg recorded 29 saves.