Game-day Preview #1: Toronto Maple Leafs @ Ottawa Senators

For the first time in 311 days, it’s an Ottawa Senators game-day! The Sens are hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs to start their 2020-21 season with many new faces, and their beautiful 2D uniforms. 

It’s another instalment of the Battle of Ontario, with a much different feel to it. Obviously, there will be no fans present at the Canadian Tire Centre, making for a drastically different atmosphere, along with the fact that this is a completely different Senators team from what last hit the ice in Los Angeles in March 2020.

This will be the first of nine meetings between the two sides this season in the COVID-imposed North Division. Most players in the Senators line-up have not played a hockey game in over ten months, but this team is younger, hungrier and will be eager to prove it can surprise this season.

Fans will largely be fixated on the NHL debut of 2020 3rd overall draft pick Tim Stützle. He looks set to begin his career on a line with another couple of recruits in veteran Derek Stepan, and the impressive Evgenii Dadonov.

The forward group is rounded out by a collection of veteran NHLers, and an exciting young trio in Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris and Drake Batherson. Tkachuk, a newly minted assistant captain will be eager to build on the great start to his NHL career, while his line-mates will be aiming to stick around with the big club, after being integral to the team’s AHL setup in Belleville last season.

Something to monitor with the forward group will be the developing story with Colin White. The centre who’s entering his second season of a six-year extension will be a healthy scratch for this game. This could simply be a message sent to the player, or something bigger.

On the defensive side, Thomas Chabot and Erik Gudbranson will get their first reps as partners.  Another side story will be to see the development of Christian Wolanin, who missed much of 2019-20 with a major injury before the additional ten months off. He’s impressed in camp and will begin the season in what looks like a top-four role, along with Nikita Zaitsev. This will be a particular area of notice for the Senators tonight, as it will be interesting to see how D.J Smith approaches match-ups against a very deep Maple Leafs forward group.

All signs point towards Matt Murray getting the nod in goal, marking his first start as an Ottawa Senator. He’ll go head-to-head with Frederik Andersen. Neither goaltender has enjoyed much success recently against their opponent, so a night filled with goals is definitely not out of the question.

With this being the first of a back-to-back between the two teams, how D.J Smith and Sheldon Keefe approach player usage will be interesting. Don’t expect to see Thomas Chabot soaring above the 30+ minute mark. The player has recently stated that his ice-time will ideally be in the 24-26 minute range.

Tonight’s opponents have already begun their season. On Wednesday night, the Leafs took down the Montreal Canadiens, a team that the Senators will play ten times this year. The Maple Leafs came from behind three times, beating the Habs by a score of 5-4 on a Morgan Rielly overtime winner.

The Senators will be wary of the offensive threat that the Leafs pose, mainly through Auston Matthews. The American has always enjoyed playing the Senators in his young career, highlighted by scoring four goals on an opening night loss in 2016 and scoring two goals on 2019’s opening night.

Last season, Toronto defeated Ottawa in all three meetings, which were for the most part relatively tight contests. The Maple Leafs face plenty of expectation in the regular season and playoffs this year, while the Senators enter on the opposite end of the spectrum, with nobody knowing not what to expect.

The Battle of Ontario always makes for quality viewing, and no matter the result it will be a great night for Senators fans everywhere, as the team is finally able to hit the ice again.

Senators Player to Watch: LW Tim Stützle.

Opposition Player to Watch: C Auston Matthews