Ottawa Senators draw first blood in Battle of Ontario

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Nothing like kicking off Round 1 of the Battle of Ontario with two points.

The Senators walked into enemy territory on Tuesday night and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in their backyard with a 3-0 victory at Scotiabank Arena in the first game between the two arch-rivals this season.

Linus Ullmark played the role of Zero Hero by recording his first shutout in an Ottawa uniform with 26 stops. Timely goals by Tim Stutzle, Michael Amadio and Josh Norris helped the Senators pick up their second straight win.

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This was the club’s third shutout of this season and they had only two all of last year.

The Senators came into this game with three straight wins in Toronto and the club had outscored the Leafs 16-7 in that stretch. Coming into this one, the Senators’ last loss in Toronto was on Oct. 15, 2022.

If the Senators are going to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years, they need to get back to respectability. They took another step in the right direction with a second straight win as the visitors.

The players who were part of the problem in the past have become part of the solution by rounding out their game.

“This is one of those games where you tell your team that if you play a certain way you can have success,” coach Travis Green told TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson. “If you don’t you’re not going to. We’ve had some games we’ve really liked this year, more games than we haven’t.

“We’re getting there. Everyone wants to have an identity that’s conducive to winning. Teams that are in the playoffs know their identity and what it takes to have success. We’re still learning.”

The Senators pushed their record to 8-7-0 with the victory and moved one game above .500. This was a measuring stick for the Senators against an Atlantic Division rival and the club measured up just fine.

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No, the Senators have to do it consistently, but there was a lot to like.

SETTING THE TONE

The Senators got off to a strong start thanks to Norris’ sixth goal of the year on the first shot Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz faced.

Norris beat Stolarz with a wrist shot only 41 seconds into the game and the Sens owned the pace until some penalty trouble later in the period. Ottawa allowed only two shots on Ullmark in the first 10 minutes.

The Senators were using their speed and the club came into this game with a 6-1-0 record when scoring first. Ottawa could have extended its lead, but you have to give Stolarz credit because he kept Toronto in it.

That wasn’t the case in the second, though.

Amadio and Stutzle both beat Stolarz in a span of 43 seconds to give the Senators a 3-0 lead. Stutzle’s goal came in game No. 300 of his career and it’s the second straight game Amadio has scored.

Stutzle beat Stolarz with a beauty of a shot from the slot.

“I’m really confident in our group. I think we can beat any team, especially when we play that way,” Stutzle said.

TOUGH TEST FOR ULLY

This was only the second time this season Ullmark has started two straight games and it’s the first time in a month it’s happened.

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Ullmark came into the game with a 4-5-1 lifetime record against the Leafs and a 3.23 goals-against average and .896 save percentage. He picked up his first win in five road starts against the Bruins on Saturday.

Although Ullmark had to make some good stops when the Leafs pressed in the first, the Senators did a good job limiting the chances on him. The club played terrific defence in front of him for the second straight game. It was the ninth shutout of his career.

“It’s always nice to get a win,” said Ullmark. “We were very mature throughout the game. I thought we did a lot of the things that we’ve talked about and we were able to stick with the game plan.

“We were very poised.”

FIREWORKS ON HOLD

It was the shot heard around the hockey world.

The last time the Senators faced off against the Leafs, winger Ridly Greig iced the 5-3 victory by firing a slap shot into an empty net on Feb. 10 at the Canadian Tire Centre.

That move incensed Toronto defenceman Morgan Rielly, who was suspended for five games by the NHL’s department of player safety for a crosscheck in retaliation.

What happened in the past stays in the past.

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“It’s not even a topic in our room,” Green said. “It’s something that happened last year. There are lots of things that go on during the season whenever you’re playing anyone. I don’t expect that to be part of the game, but the Toronto/Ottawa game is always a little extra emotion for both teams.”

Guess what? Nothing happened and Greig was on the ice with a chance for an empty-netter late in the third.

UP IN THE BOOTH

Kenzie Lalonde had an impressive debut in her first NHL game in the play-by-play role.

Lalonde, who grew up a slapshot away from the Canadian Tire Centre in Stittsville, called the game in Ottawa region for TSN. She has lots of experience behind the microphone and called a couple of Montreal Canadiens’ games on radio last season.

She grew up a fan of the Senators, was ready for this moment and did a terrific job with former NHL goalie Jamie McLennan by her side. Just for good measure, Lalonde was able to call a goal on her first shift when Norris fired it home.

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