Five Takeaways - Leafs at Senators - 01/20/18

1. Leafs start latest Battle of Ontario with first-rate defensive effort, take game's first lead on Hyman goal early in opening period.The Senators posted a 4-3 win over Toronto when last they squared off on Jan. 10, but it was the Leafs who looked strongest to begin Saturday's game in Ottawa: the Buds limited the Sens to just four shots in the first 20 minutes of action, and got on the scoresheet first when winger Zach Hyman registered his eighth goal of the year at the 7:26 mark.

That turned out to be the lone scoring play of the opening period, and the legion of Leafs fans in attendance in Ottawa had to be thrilled at the calibre of Toronto's all-around game.

2. Sens storm back in second, take lead with two goals in four minutes, extend lead before second intermission. The Leafs did not have veteran defenceman Morgan Rielly in the lineup in this game, and in the second period, they did not look nearly as defensively sound, surrendering two goals to Ottawa in a 4:04 span. Blueliner Erik Karlsson netted the first of them at 3:08 of the second, and winger Mike Hoffman put the Senators ahead at the 7:12 mark. The Buds' problems got worse with 1:55 left in the second when they allowed a shorthanded goal to Sens winger Tom Pyatt and were looking at a 3-1 deficit entering the third period.
Toronto continues to have a difficult time protecting leads, and opponents are clearly aware of that challenge. And the Leafs' problems on this night erased their first-period advantage and presented an uphill climb for the remainder of regulation.

3. Toronto sends message to start third as Matthews and Marner score to tie the game.Toronto was looking at a five-game losing streak if they dropped this contest, but right off the hop in the third, the Leafs looked like a possessed group determined to not let the Senators beat them. The Buds cut Ottawa's lead to 3-2 at 2:53 of the third, when centre Auston Matthews scored his team-leading 20th goal of the season (and his second point of the night); 88 seconds later, with Toronto on the power play, winger Mitch Marner broke in on Sens goalie Craig Anderson and curled-and-dragged the puck along the ice in front of the net before firing it home for his sixth of the year and a 3-3 tie. D-man Jake Gardiner recorded an assist on both Matthews' and Marner's goals, giving him three assists in the game.

Earlier in the season, the Leafs were known for scoring in bursts, and on this night, a rapid blast of goals erased their sub-par second period and gave them a clean slate for the final 15 minutes of regulation time.

4. Carrick continues offensive push by Leafs, puts Toronto back ahead.With Rielly out of the lineup, Leafs head coach Mike Babcock employed some new defensive pairings, and the duo of rookie Travis Dermott and veteran Connor Carrick performed exceedingly well together. Carrick made the most of his increase in ice time by continuing Toronto's scoring roll, putting a puck through traffic from the point and past Anderson for his third goal of the year and a 4-3 Leafs lead at 8:58 of the third.

All-in-all, the Leafs got three goals in a 6:05 span of the third to reestablish a lead, and that type of offensive push was exactly what the Blue & White needed.

5. Andersen holds fort, preserves victory as Buds snap losing streak, head home for showdown with white-hot Avs.The Leafs outshot the Senators in all three periods, including 9-6 in the third period (and 33-18 overall), but Toronto had to withstand a late Ottawa push (including a 6-on-5 man advantage for the last 1:36 after the Sens pulled Anderson for the extra attacker). Fortunately, Andersen was solid between the pipes and helped the Leafs lock up the win, ending their losing streak and giving them confidence as they head home to face off against the white-hot Colorado Avalanche Monday.
The Avs beat the Leafs 4-3 in overtime during their Dec. 29 showdown, so Toronto will have lots of motivation to avenge the defeat. However, Colorado has won nine straight games - and has never trailed for a single second in that span - so the Buds will have to put forth a nearly-ideal effort to derail the Avalanche's win streak and build a win streak of their own.