Battle of Ontario - Leafs at Senators

The Battle of Ontario always brings fireworks, but this edition is far from the old times. A new cast of Maple Leafs will take the ice, some barely have their feet wet in the NHL, not embroiled enough in the battle to feel the hatred and animosity that this matchup usually brings.

The Leafs roster has come a long way since the battle featured the likes of Sundin vs. Alfredsson, and Domi vs. Neil. Gone are Tucker and McCabe with Kessel and Phaneuf taking their place. Ottawa still dresses some familiar faces as Spezza and Fisher are still the go-to guys, but it’s the Leafs that are re-tooling for the next generation of players that will carry on one of the best rivalry in sports.

In terms of wins, it has been the new-look Leafs that have the upper hand on the season series. Tonight will mark the sixth and final meeting between the Northeast Division rivals with Toronto holding a 3-2 edge.

Ottawa started out the season with the first two wins, but Toronto has stormed back to take three in a row from the Sens. The last victory coming on March 6th from Scotiabank Place, a 2-1 shootout victory for the Leafs. Toronto can thank their new sniper, Phil Kessel for that one as he scored one in regulation and the shootout for the Leafs.

As for season success though, the Senators are right in the mix of the Eastern Conference playoff race, sitting in fifth place with 79 points, three back of the Buffalo Sabres who have 82 points and the lead in the Northeast Division. Toronto has long been out of it, and the only race they are in right now is for the lottery pick position with Edmonton. It looks as though the Oilers are going to run away with the worst record in the league this year, sitting nine points behind the Leafs as we head into tonight’s action.

For Ottawa, they appeared poised to take the reins in the Northeast from Buffalo but have really struggled since the Olympic break. They have gone just 1-4-1 since resuming play on March 2nd but still have some time to make up ground on the Sabres, but they can’t afford anymore setbacks as the Sabres have two games in hand.

Ottawa was one of the league’s hottest teams before the Olympic Games, ripping off 14 wins in its final 16 contests before the break. They are coming off a tough road trip through western Canada that saw them take out the lowly Edmonton Oilers in their first game by a 4-1 count but followed that with back-to-back disappointing performances. After being shut out by the Flames on Thursday, Ottawa didn’t even show up in Vancouver, getting run over by a 5-1 final in the finale of the trip. Vancouver had the Sens on the mat before the puck even dropped, out shooting Ottawa 17-2 in the first period and by a 35-14 margin for the game.

The Sens will look to build some momentum of their Provincial neighbours who have dropped nine of the past 10 road games. The funny thing is, the Leafs only win in that stretch came on March 6th, the shootout victory over Senators. Still, Toronto has been one of the NHL’s worst away teams this season, posting a 9-20-7 mark as the visitor on the year.