Carter Yakemchuk scored a sensational overtime winner off an end-to-end rush to lead the Ottawa Senators past the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 in the preseason opener.
screaming, crying, yaking🤮 #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/1HkUna812l
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) September 23, 2024
Max Pacioretty scored twice for the Maple Leafs, while Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews and William Nylander added a goal each for the Maple Leafs, who elected to play many of their roster regulars, while the Senators used Sunday as a true tryout opportunity. In the end, it paid dividends as the Senators defeated a much more talented and experienced Maple Leafs squad.
Cole Reinhardt scored twice for the Senators, while Adam Gaudette, Donovan Sebrango, and Jan Jenik added a goal each before Yakemchuk walked it off at Scotiabank Arena.
Although the Maple Leafs boasted a superior talent advantage, the Senators outshot the Maple Leafs 14-1 during the first period, with Pacioretty generating the lone shot on goal for the home team. Pacioretty got a quick shot from inside the faceoff circle and was the Maple Leafs’ best player on Sunday, perhaps separating himself from the competition, while initially paired with Grebenkin and John Tavares. The 36-year-old winger was quick on pucks, was opportunistic in the offensive third and worked well with his linemates, including Easton Cowan. It’s a fool’s errand to read too much from one preseason game but Pacioretty appears to be in the lead for one of the final roster spots.
Jenik opened the scoring, after Zack MacEwen outworked Morgan Rielly for the puck, while Chris Tanev was caught standing flat-footed. It wasn’t a particularly bad game from Tanev, who recorded three assists, but Toronto’s defencemen were often caught puck-watching throughout the contest — Oliver Ekman-Larsson also struggled for the Maple Leafs — as the Senators made the most of their opportunities. If it weren’t for Joseph Woll, the Senators would’ve pulled away after the opening stanza. Woll was replaced by Matt Murray after Ottawa took a 3-1 lead, with the Maple Leafs intending to split the game evenly between the two goaltenders. He made 20 saves on 23 shots, while Murray finished eight saves on 11 shots on goal.
Matthew Knies got the Leafs on the board, finishing off a beautiful feed from Mitch Marner. Knies took an undisciplined penalty in the first period — one of three stick fouls by Toronto in the opening frame, as Timothy Liljegren and Rielly would also head to the box for high-sticking later in the frame — but this was a redemptive moment of sorts, as much as any moment can be during a preseason opener.
Ryan Reaves also fought Donovan Sebrango, after Sebrango hit Reaves from behind. Reaves easily won the fight, which can be viewed below:
The game really came alive during the third period, in large part due to Pacioretty and Tavares’ offensive surge. Pacioretty deflected a Morgan Rielly point shot to cut the lead to 3-2, then Matthews converted on a beautiful feed from John Tavares to tie the game at 3-3. Pacioretty then wired his second goal of the period, as the puck trickled through Mads Sogaard’s pads as the Maple Leafs took their first lead of the night, appearing to pull away.
Max Pacioretty or John Tavares!
deflection goal pic.twitter.com/PQClGoVEYJ
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) September 23, 2024
Max Pacioretty scores his second of the game 🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/wYpve76fRW
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) September 23, 2024
And this is where the magic of the preseason lies, at least neutrally. Sebrango equalized the game after the Maple Leafs failed to backtrack, then Reinhardt wired home his second goal of the contest, as Ekman-Larsson was once again caught out in no man’s land.
It looked like the Senators would emerge with a 5-4 victory, but Nylander, who picked up his game offensively through the latter two periods, scored the game-tying goal with 22 seconds left, after Pacioretty and Tavares connected on an effective three-man weave before Nylander jammed it home. It was a high-scoring affair at Scotiabank Arena and fans got their money’s worth, even if the end result wasn’t favourable.
William Nylander ties it late! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/TkPG00vAnR
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) September 23, 2024
There will be a lot for the Maple Leafs to clean up, but it’s also difficult to be overly critical after one preseason game. Toronto resumes its preseason schedule against Ottawa on Tuesday.
