Maple Leafs 3, Senators 1
MAPLE LEAFS 3, SENATORS 1: Phil Kessel had a goal and an assist as visiting Toronto won back-to-back games for the first time in nearly six weeks.
James Reimer turned aside 29 shots and was denied a shutout in the waning seconds for the second straight game as the Maple Leafs pulled within six points of eighth-place Washington in the Eastern Conference.
Tim Connolly and Dion Phaneuf also scored goals as Toronto gained a split of the six-game Battle of Ontario series and knocked the Senators out of first place in the Northeast Division.
Colin Greening scored with 69 seconds to play for Ottawa, which fell one point behind Boston for the division lead.
It marked the first time Toronto won back-to-back games since Feb. 4-6, which included a 5-0 demolition of Ottawa.
Connolly was credited with an unassisted tally at 7:20 of the second period to give the Maple Leafs the lead. Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson attempted a pass from behind his net that hit the back of the leg and stick of slow-moving goaltender Ben Bishop and into Ottawa's net.
Kessel doubled the advantage with a power play in the opening minute of the third period, circling toward the center and snapping a shot through a maze of players.
Moments after Kessel's tally, Ottawa had a goal overturned upon video review when it was determined that Jason Spezza kicked the puck into the net on a carom off the back boards.
Phaneuf ended a 12-game goalless drought with a one-timer from the right faceoff circle on a pass from Kessel on a 5-on-3 at the 12-minute mark to make it 3-0.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Reimer lost a shutout Thursday night when Tampa Bay scored with 26 seconds to play. ... Kessel's goal leaves him one shy of his career high set during the 2008-09 season with the Boston Bruins. It also was his 20th tally against the Senators, the most he has scored against any team. ... Two unlikely fighting penalties were doled out to Ottawa's Sergei Gonchar and Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski. It was Gonchar's first fight in 13 seasons and Grabovski first fighting penalty in the NHL, according to CBC.