The preseason opener turned out to be a thriller as the Ottawa Senators emerged victorious over the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime, capped off by a sensational goal from Carter Yakemchuk.
We’re not going to waste your time with preamble! Here are five takeaways from the Senators’ 6-5 win over the Maple Leafs:
Max Pacioretty is separating himself from the other camp invites
Max Pacioretty is pulling away from the competition for a roster spot and with the expectation that he will sign a full contract at the end of training camp, the 36-year-old is one step closer to punching his ticket onto the opening night roster. Pacioretty scored two goals and finished with a three-point night during an evening where he was Toronto’s most impactful player.
Pacioretty spent the majority of his evening alongside John Tavares, and was initially paired with Nikita Grebenkin as well. As the game wore on, with the purpose of experimentation, Pacioretty was moved to a line alongside Tavares and Easton Cowan and they absolutely cooked, generating five shots, zero against, with two goals and a 96.4 share of the expected goals via Natural Stat Trick. Process matters more than the result, which is why we’re not altogether concerned about the loss, but Pacioretty was flying out there and was better than Grebenkin, Cowan and the other camp hopefuls fighting for a hotly contested spot among the forward corps.
Toronto was outshot 14-1 during the first period and often appeared to be treating the preseason opener as little more than a conditioning skate, but Pacioretty generated the lone shot on goal during the opening frame, off the rush, where Grebenkin chipped the puck over to him entering the offensive zone.
It’s too early to be pencilling in the full lineup, but Pacioretty finished with six shots, added three hits, and could be in line for a major comeback season.
Max Pacioretty or John Tavares!
deflection goal pic.twitter.com/PQClGoVEYJ
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) September 23, 2024
Nikita Grebenkin’s energy was contagious throughout the game
For what it’s worth, I wasn’t always impressed with Grebenkin’s showing on Sunday night. There were times where he pinched way too far up the ice looking for a breakout, and was waiting for the play to come to him. The 21-year-old also played with the physicality that was expected of him and is quickly become a fan favourite, after he squared off against Adam Gaudette in a tilt that fired up the Scotiabank Arena crowd.
“He’s a young kid. I think he’s showing us a lot in camp here, with his strength, size, ability, and he’s trying to impress,” Berube said of Grebenkin post-game.
And if anything, Grebenkin is earning the respect of his teammates with his willingness to drop the gloves.
“I just love that. New heavy in town,” Maple Leafs veteran forward Ryan Reaves said. “Love to see that. It’s good to see kids get involved like that. It’s a full team thing.”
Grebenkin’s skill set and size certainly stands out — he certainly made a stronger impression on Berube than I thought he would’ve, and the 21-year-old remains as the potential sleeper to make the opening night roster. The next step may be finding the scoresheet after recording 41 points in 67 KHL games last season, while being afforded key minutes alongside a top-nine staple like Tavares.
Easton Cowan continues to do the small things correctly
It wasn’t a banner night, at least on the scoresheet, but Cowan was part of Toronto’s most productive line at 5-on-5 and continued to show the tenacity while forechecking that may be essential to his bid for a roster spot. Cowan kept his legs moving throughout the contest, he kept plays alive and though he didn’t get onto the scoresheet, he outplayed Grebenkin for an in-game promotion to an assignment alongside Tavares.
If Cowan were to make the opening night roster, and we’re still a few weeks away, stapling him to Tavares would be a great way to get the most out of his rookie year, while providing him with a mentor that is vying for the Hall of Fame, a fellow London Knights alumnus no less. Cowan also drew a penalty and his ability to wedge himself into tight spaces in pursuit of the puck is a quality that ought to lend itself well at the NHL level, although like most young players, he needs to add a bit more weight. If Cowan can show some of the scoring punch that lit the OHL aflame, he’s going to make it very difficult for Berube and his staff as the week wages on.
Joseph Woll didn’t get any goal support
Joseph Woll was better than his numbers suggested as the Senators outshot the Maple Leafs 14-1 during the first period. It was always Toronto’s plan to rotate himself and Matt Murray during Sunday’s contest. If it weren’t for Woll, the Senators may have ran away with the contest early, and he made a terrific save on Nikolay Kulemin in the first frame.
quick toe save on Kulemin pic.twitter.com/SAzaIuAWvg
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) September 22, 2024
Woll will want to have the third goal back, as Adam Gaudette’s speculative shot trickled past him, and he was promptly switched out for Murray. It’s a tough game to evaluate, given that he was put to work immediately and was Toronto’s best player during the first period.
A grain of salt and some perspective
We have to state that it’s the first preseason game and again, the results don’t necessarily matter, so it’s with this caveat that we report that it was a tough showing for many of the roster regulars, particularly on the blue line. Morgan Rielly and Chris Tanev were still working on their communication (although Tanev finished with a three-assist night, Rielly recorded a primary assist on Pacioretty’s first goal as well) while Oliver Ekman-Larsson was routinely caught out in no man’s land, while working with Jake McCabe. No one is going to fault effort level or compete level during the first preseason game, it’s impossible to quantify in the first place, but against a Senators team that rested most of their best players, this was an experimental contest.
Auston Matthews eventually scored, Matthew Knies converted a sick Mitch Marner feed, while William Nylander authored an excellent performance where he recorded seven shots, the game-tying goal, and won 50 percent of his draws while centring Max Domi and Calle Jarnkrok (where we’ll likely focus our attention as camp wages on) during a game that often mimicked a scrimmage. No one is going to remember the highs and lows of the game and for a Maple Leafs team focused on the incremental gains found daily in pursuit of the Stanley Cup, this is all just part of the process.
