If there’s one thing the Battle of Ontario never lacks, it’s action.
Hockey fans were treated to plenty of fireworks as the Toronto Maple Leafs took down the Ottawa Senators 7-5 in an offensive thriller on Saturday night.
With the 12 goals on the night, the teams combined for the highest-scoring Battle of Ontario of all-time.
The deciding marker came off the stick of Matthew Knies in the third period, netting a much-needed insurance point after the Senators stormed back with two earlier in the frame to cut into Toronto’s two-goal lead.
It proved even more important after Jordan Spence scored later in the frame to make it a one-goal game once again. However, the Leafs held on after John Tavares netted an empty-netter with just over a minute to go in regulation.
Knies finished with three points (two goals, one assist), while captain Auston Matthews ended a four-game pointless streak with three of his own (one goal, two assists). Max Domi also notched three assists on the night.
Matthews’ goal — the Leafs’ fourth of the game — chased Senators starter Linus Ullmark in the second period. Ullmark finished with only 10 saves on 14 shots, while replacement Leevi Merilainen stopped 16 of the 18 shots he faced.
Leading the way for Ottawa was Spence, who had one goal and one assist, while Stephen Halliday and Claude Giroux — skating in his 1,300th game — added two assists apiece.
