Whenever the Ottawa Senators' schedule gets released in the Summer, games against the Toronto Maple Leafs get immediately circled due to the intensity of the Battle of Ontario rivalry.
The Senators are currently chasing the Maple Leafs in the standings, and earning a road win against the Maple Leafs would add another statement win in the Atlantic Division. However, the Senators are catching the Maple Leafs in a hot stretch.
Senators head to The 6 to face Maple Leafs
The Senators travel to Scotiabank Arena to face the Maple Leafs with puck drop at 7 p.m. ET in the first Battle of Ontario this season. With being 7-7-0, a win for the Senators would help them draw closer to the Maple Leafs in the standings, but the Maple Leafs are entering tonight's game hot with winning their past three games.
On Saturday night against the Boston Bruins in Beantown, the Senators earned a much needed 3-2 road win in overtime with Brady Tkachuk scoring the game-winning goal. A road win was needed with the Senators playing poorly on the road and struggling in November.
A key reason why the Senators won was due to their defense holding the Bruins to one shot on goal in the third period and overtime combined. Thomas Chabot has found consistency with being paired with Nick Jensen on defense. However, Chabot and Jensen and the rest of the defense will have their hands full against the explosive Maple Leafs offense.
The Maple Leafs enter being in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 9-5-2 record. The Maple Leafs' most recent game was a 4-1 win on Saturday night against the Montreal Canadiens at home.
Even without superstar Auston Matthews in the lineup for the past three games due to an upper body injury, the Maple Leafs have won all three games without him. Mitchell Marner leads the Maple Leafs with 16 assists and 20 points. William Nylander leads the Maple Leafs with 11 goals, and John Tavares also has 14 points this season. Matthew Knies has also been a big surprise for the Maple Leafs with scoring seven goals this season.
The Senators seemed to have found their confidence back with playing on the road after Saturday night's win in Boston to improve to 2-5-0 on the road, but the huge offensive talent of the Maple Leafs will be another tough test for the Senators.