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Toronto Maple Leafs to Play Senators in Back-to-Back

ByStephen Nixon|
OTTAWA, ON - FEBRUARY 15: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates around the net with the puck as Marcus Hogberg #35 of the Ottawa Senators defends the net at Canadian Tire Centre on February 15, 2020 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - FEBRUARY 15: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates around the net with the puck as Marcus Hogberg #35 of the Ottawa Senators defends the net at Canadian Tire Centre on February 15, 2020 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are set for a back-to-back in the nation’s capital against the Ottawa Senators on Friday and Saturday night.

The Toronto Maple Leafs playing back-to-back games on the road against Ottawa is an indication of how weird the NHL schedule is going to be this season.

Typically if the team’s played a back-to-back, it would be a home and away match-up, but due to the pandemic, the NHL has decided to make the schedule more like a baseball season.

Even though the Leafs/Habs rivalry is more historic, the Battle of Ontario between Toronto and Ottawa has always had more anticipation for me. Based on my age, Ottawa is the only other Canadian team I’ve seen the Leafs battle in the playoffs and those series in the early 2000s are still so vivid to me.

Nothing makes me happier than watching highlights of  Joe Nieuwendyk scoring two soft-goals on Patrick Lalime in Game 7 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals, or seeing Mats Sundin defeating his countrymen Daniel Alfredsson.

Even recently, the Senators will always be in the Leafs Trivia Book as the team that allowed four goals by Auston Matthews in his professional hockey debut.

Ottawa is projected to be the worst team in the North Division this season, while the Leafs are the favorite. Odds are sometimes meaningless, but let’s look at the changes the Senators made this off-season.

Toronto Will Face Ottawa in Back-to-Back This Weekend

Ottawa Senators

  • 2019-20 Record: 
    • 25-34-12 (62 points), 15th place in Eastern Conference
  • Key Additions: 
    • Matt Murray, Derek Stepan, Joshua Brown, Erik Gudbranson, Austin Watson, Braydon Coburn, Cedric Paquette, Tim Stuetzel, Alex Galchenyuk, Evgenii Dadonov
    • Key Departures:
      • Anthony Duclair, Bobby Ryan, Ron Hainsey, Craig Anderson, Mark Borowiecki, Anders Nilsson

        • The Senators weren’t able to secure the number-one overall pick last year, but thanks to the first-round pick they received in the Erik Karlsson trade a few years ago, they had the third and fifth overall selections in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

        Ottawa’s fifth-overall pick, Jake Sanderson, won’t be playing with the team to start the season, but their third-overall selection, Tim Stuetzle, is scheduled to start on the second line and is one of the favorites to win the Calder Trophy.

        Here’s what Toronto will be facing on Friday and Saturday night, courtesy of TSN.ca.

        Forwards:

        Brady Tkachuk-Josh Norris-Drake Batherson
        Tim Stuetzle-Derek Stepan-Evgenii Dadonov
        Nick Paul-Chris Tierney-Connor Brown
        Cedric Paquette-Artem Anisimov-Austin Watson

        Defense: 

        Thomas Chabot-Erik Gudbranson
        Mike Reilly-Josh Brown
        Christian Wolanin-Nikita Zaitsev

        Goaltenders

        Matt Murray
        Marcus Hogberg

        If you look through Ottawa’s roster, they have a number of great young pieces. Stuetzle, Tkachuk, Chabot and Dadonov should have the biggest impact for the Senators, but I can’t see this team competing for a playoff spot in the tough North Division.

        Matt Murray is the most intriguing addition for Ottawa. He’s a former two-time Stanley Cup winner, but his numbers suggest that he’s a mid-tier goaltender in the NHL. If Murray can provide the stats he did during his two cup run’s with Pittsburgh, then the Senators could make a run for the playoffs, but I doubt that happens.

        After almost blowing their home opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, I’d like to think that the Leafs will be hungrier to get out to a quick lead against an inferior Ottawa team. Every point is so critical this season, as every game is a divisional match-up, so even with Jack Campbell scheduled to play one of these games, I think the Toronto Maple Leafs easily roll through Ottawa.

        Friday Night Prediction: Toronto Maple Leafs win 6-3 and Joe Thornton scores his first goal as a Leaf.

        Saturday Night Prediction: Toronto Maple Leafs win 5-3 and Auston Matthews finishes with three goals and two assists for the weekend.

        I was off with my game one prediction, but I still projected a win, so that’s all that matters. It would be incredibly disappointing if the Leafs don’t come home with two wins, so expect the offense to dominate a young and poorer Senators team.

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