After a 10-day break, the Senators defeat the Maple Leafs 5-3.
Ontario’s Ottawa (AP) – The Ottawa Senators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 on Saturday night, led by a goal and two assists from Shane Pinto. The game ended with Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Reilly cross-checking Ridly Greig after the latter attempted a slap shot into an empty net.
On their return from a 10-day break, Ottawa also scored goals through Claude Giroux, Josh Norris, and Vladimir Tarasenko. Korpisalo Joonas made 31 saves.
For Toronto, Auston Matthews scored his 42nd goal, which leads the NHL. Martin Jones stopped 27 shots, and Max Domi and Matthew Knies also scored.
With 5.1 seconds remaining, Greig scored by sprinting down the middle and slapping a shot into the empty net from close range. Reilly hit the Ottawa player high with a cross-check as he was making his way back up the boards to the bench.
For the last faceoff, Toronto sent out enforcer Ryan Reaves, but the referees intervened fast to break up a fight.
On a tip, Pinto gave Ottawa a 3-2 lead halfway through the second quarter, and Norris added a goal with 4:47 remaining. Early in the third, Domi got Toronto to within one goal.
In his first game following the NHL All-Star break, Josh Norris of the Ottawa Senators scored the game-winning goal in the second period, leading his team to a 5-3 victory at home in Kanata, Ontario against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Shane Pinto led the Senators with two assists and three points on the night, while Norris, Claude Giroux, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Ridly Greig each scored a goal. For the first time since November, Joonas Korpisalo’s team won three straight games as he turned away 31 shots to record his 13th victory of the year.
The Maple Leafs’ goals came from Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, and Max Domi. Matthews’ goal was his 42nd of the season, increasing his lead atop the NHL goalscoring charts. For the Maple Leafs, Martin Jones made 27 saves in his first start since a defeat to the Vancouver Canucks on January 20. With Norris’ goal at 15:13 in the second period, the Senators led 4–2 going into the final frame. The 24-year-old had intercepted a breakaway pass from Toronto defenseman Simon Benoit, moved into the offensive zone, and scored with a wrist shot over Jones’ shoulder for his 13th goal of the year. After rallying from an early deficit, Ottawa regained control. Matthews opened the score with a snapshot, lowering down to
After missing the first 41 games of the season due to suspension, Pinto scored his third goal of the game (3-2), and Greig’s empty-net goal incited a late-game brawl after the forward scored the insurance goal with an undefended slapshot. Due to injury, veteran blueliner Mark Giordano was not available for the Maple Leafs on Saturday. Instead, William Lagesson made his 22nd season debut. The Senators triumphed twice in Toronto in the prior Battle of Ontario series, 6-3 on November 8 and 4-2 on December 27, while the Maple Leafs recorded their lone victory on December 7 as the visiting team.
