Senators at Maple Leafs
John Tavares recalled when the Battle of Ontario was taken to a new level during his days as a fan growing up in Mississauga, with the Toronto Maple Leafs ousting the Ottawa Senators from the playoffs on four occasions from 1999-00 to 2003-04. Now donning the blue and white jersey, Tavares has an opportunity to make his mark on the bitter rivalry on Saturday when the Maple Leafs host the Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
"It was obviously very intense. Being division opponents in the same province, you develop that type of bad blood over the years," the 28-year-old Tavares said on Friday. "Just some great hockey, some emotional games, some big goals." Tavares scored a big goal in his debut after signing a seven-year, $77 million contract and Auston Matthews tallied twice in Toronto's 3-2 overtime win over Montreal on Wednesday. While the Maple Leafs added to their potent roster in the offseason, the Senators shuffled captain Erik Karlsson to San Jose and forward Mike Hoffman out of town in a clear sign of a major makeover in Canada's capital city. "We're going to try different things. It's very early, with so many new people. ... We're getting to know these guys, and every day they're growing, too. They're just going to get better," Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said on the heels of Thursday's 4-3 overtime loss to Chicago.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBC
ABOUT THE SENATORS (0-0-1): Ottawa's new-look defense featured Thomas Chabot, Chris Wideman, Mark Borowiecki and Cody Ceci each recording at least 18 minutes of ice time, while Dylan DeMelo logged 14:41. Fellow blue-liner Maxime Lajoie made an impact on the offensive end by scoring in his NHL debut and assisting on Colin White's power-play tally to cap the Senators' three-goal first period. "I never thought (Thursday) morning that I would play my first game and have my first goal in the NHL so I'm overjoyed and really happy," said the 20-year-old Lajoie, whose mother broke into tears on camera shortly after the tally.
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (1-0-0): Frederik Andersen, who had 34 saves against the Canadiens, is aiming to write a different script after enduring sluggish starts to the season in each of his previous two years with Toronto. "I've had (that) a couple times in Toronto where I had to push through ups and downs," the 29-year-old Dane told TSN on Friday. "It might seem like the darkest days of your life; you're just trying to find a way to push through it." Andersen overcame a 2-2-3 beginning in 2016-17 to finish with a 33-16-14 mark while his 6-5-0 start in 2017-18 resulted in a franchise record in a wins (38).
OVERTIME
1. Ottawa G Craig Anderson owns a 15-7-3 mark with three shutouts and a 2.86 goals-against average in 27 career encounters versus Toronto.
2. Maple Leafs C Nazem Kadri, who had two assists in the season opener, scored and set up a goal in a 6-3 win over the Senators on Feb. 10.
3. White has yet to record a point in three career games versus the Maple Leafs.