Finally, hockey season has arrived. The Toronto Maple Leafs faced off against the Ottawa Senators earlier this afternoon for game one of a two-game set today. The Leafs controlled most of the play, ultimately defeating the Senators, 3-1.
Lineup:
Forwards: Joey Anderson, Zach Aston-Reese, Joseph Blandisi, Adam Gaudette, Pontus Holmberg, David Kampf, Denis Malgin, Mitch Marner, Fraser Minten, William Nylander, Wayne Simmonds, Alex Steeves, John Tavares
Defensemen: Carl Dahlstrom, Mark Giordano, Matthew Hellickson, Justin Holl, Mac Hollowell, Filip Kral, Marshall Rifai
Goaltenders: Erik Kallgren, Dylan Ferguson
Second Period Scoring Spree
The Ottawa Senators entered the second period with a one-goal advantage. But that lead would quickly evaporate as Justin Holl got the Leafs on the board. Wayne Simmonds and Mark Giordano assisted Holl.
Just less than two minutes later, William Nylander found a driving Denis Malgin to give Toronto the lead. And finally, 18 seconds later, Alex Steeves tipped a point shot in, giving Toronto a 3-1 lead.
The Leafs would maintain their lead by playing a scoreless third-period, until Alex Steeves potted in the empty net, giving Toronto a 4-1 victory.
Stars look Strong
With the start of the preseason, it was nice to see some lines that you won't necessarily see in the regular season. For example, William Nylander plays alongside Denis Malgin. On the ice, all three John Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander looked strong.
Specifically, William Nylander was all over the ice today. The Swedish winger played just more than 15 minutes, recording an assist and two shots on net. Nylander utilized his playmaking ability to set up Denis Malgin with an easy tap-in.
Game Notes:
- First-star: Denis Malgin
- Kallgren played 40 minutes (7/8)
- Ferguson played 20 minutes (9/9)