Marner gets five points for Maple Leafs against Senators

TORONTO-- Mitchell Marner had five points for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 6-3 win against the Ottawa Senators at Air Canada Centre on Saturday.

"I just think in general our whole line was moving the puck well, we were getting open for each other and talking a lot," Marner said. "In the defensive zone, we were making quick plays and getting out quick, so we had a lot of energy to spend in the offensive zone."
\[WATCH: All Senators vs. Maple Leafs highlights\]
Marner had two goals and three assists, linemate Patrick Marleau had a goal and two assists, and Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs (33-19-5), who won for the seventh time in their past eight games and moved within three points of the Boston Bruins for second place in the Atlantic Division.
Johnny Oduya, Derick Brassard and Ryan Dzingel scored, and Mike Condon made 28 saves for the Senators (19-26-9), who had won two in a row and four of five. Craig Anderson was pulled 11:30 into the first period after allowing three goals on 10 shots.
"It was a bad start for us, especially our line," Senators forward Mark Stone said. "We were down behind the eight ball pretty quick. It's tough when you lose to that team. It was really just the first period that killed us."
Marner put the Maple Leafs up 1-0 at 1:55 of the first period when he forced a turnover by Oduya.

"[Marner's] been working real hard in practice and now it's starting to show in the game," Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. "It was the full 60 minutes of doing it right and being on top of it and working hard. I don't know how many pucks he stole tonight, but it was a ton of them."
The Maple Leafs went up 2-0 at 9:25 when Auston Matthews took a pass from William Nylander and scored with a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle.
Marner scored at 11:30 to make it 3-0 when he took a cross-ice pass from Marleau.
"We lost the game in the first period and because of the first period," Senators coach Guy Boucher said. "We pushed back in the second and third period and played two fine periods. When you come out like we came out and for a good part of the first period let the opponent skate like they did, we were not physical and we gave them the ice that they needed."
The Senators made it 3-1 at 8:32 of the second period when Stone sent a cross-ice pass to Oduya.
James van Riemsdyk scored a power-play goal to put the Maple Leafs up 4-1 at 13:51 when Marner's shot deflected off his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to shoot it up high, chest-high on a straight-ahead pass, but that's how we're scoring our power-play goals," Marner said. "We're getting bounces and that's how we've got to keep doing it."
Brassard deflected a point shot from Dion Phaneuf to make it 4-2 45 seconds into the third period. Kadri scored 1:44 later to make it 5-2.
Dzingel scored at 13:32 to make it 5-3. Marleau scored into an empty net with 1:22 remaining to make it 6-3.

Goal of the game

Marner's goal at 11:30 of the first period.

Save of the game

Andersen's save on Stone at 12:00 of the second period.

Highlight of the game

Matthews' goal at 9:25 of the first period.

They said it

"We're chasing the game after they took the lead with three goals. Against that team, it's too hard to come back. We had some good push in the second and third, but it's too hard to come back. We had a really good first shift but then for whatever reason our legs weren't there and they were winning all the races. We were second on the puck everywhere." -- Senators forward Derick Brassard
"It's always in your mind, but it's always a pass mentality in my head. Whenever there's a chance to pass, I'm going to try to make that pass. It's still a mentality I'm trying to change." -- Maple Leafs forward Mitchell Marner on if he was thinking about a hat trick

Need to know

Brassard led the Senators with four shots playing 18:49 after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. ... Marner's second goal was his 100th NHL point in his 134th game. His five points were an NHL career high and the first such game by a Maple Leafs player since Tomas Kaberle on Oct. 26, 2009. ... Morgan Rielly's assist on van Riemsdyk's goal was his 28th of the season to set an NHL career high.

What's next

Senators: At the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, TSN5, RDS, NHL.TV)
Maple Leafs: Host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, TVAS, TSN4, SUN, NHL.TV)