Maple Leafs at Senators
THE STORY: The Battle of Ontario takes on a little added significance Sunday night as the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Ottawa Senators in a showdown of two red-hot Canadian clubs. The Maple Leafs come into the national capital as the top team in the Northeast Division, three points clear of the Senators and Buffalo Sabres. Phil Kessel was at it again Saturday night, scoring the game-winning goal and setting up another as Toronto recorded an impressive victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ottawa has been even more surprising of late, racking up five consecutive victories - none as unlikely as Saturday's come-from-behind 5-4 shootout triumph over the New York Rangers. The Senators trailed 4-1 at the nine-minute mark of the third period before storming back to steal two points.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, Rogers Sportsnet East, Rogers Sportsnet Ontario
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (7-2-1): For all the attention being lavished on Kessel, who leads the NHL with 18 points, Toronto head coach Ron Wilson believes defenseman Dion Phaneuf deserves just as many kudos. "Personally, I think by a country mile he's the best defenseman in the league," Wilson said following Saturday's win. "It's not even close right now." It's hard to argue with the stats; Phaneuf had two assists Saturday and is third among blue-liners with 11 points. He's also a plus-seven.
ABOUT THE SENATORS (6-5-0): Maybe, just maybe, this will be the season Milan Michalek figures it all out. The 26-year-old forward is enjoying a sensational start to the season, racking up 13 points in 11 games to rank among the league leaders. The sixth overall pick in the 2003 draft has been a model of frustration throughout his career, showing great promise but never reaching his potential. He has reached the 60-point barrier just once, and had just 67 in his first two seasons in Ottawa.
OVERTIME:
1. These teams have met once this season, with Toronto nearly squandering a 5-0 lead on the way to a 6-5 win. Ottawa scored five times in the third period to make things interesting.
2. The road team has prevailed in six of the last nine head-to-head encounters.
3. Kessel has run roughshod over the Senators in recent history, scoring 17 goals in his last 18 games against them. That includes his first hat trick in a Toronto uniform in their first encounter.