The Maple Leafs dressed most of their top players and overpowered an undermanned Sens squad in Toronto.
It was a rough night for an undermanned Senators squad in Toronto on Wednesday night.
With the Maple Leafs dressing all their top players, they didn't have much trouble with the Senators, defeating them 6-1 at Scotiabank Arena. John Tavares, Auston Matthews and Jack Roslovic all had three points for Toronto, while Tim Stützle had the only marker for the Senators
Stützle gave the Senators an early lead at 6:35 of the first period. Carrying the puck down the left wing, he cut across the crease and tucked a slick backhand past Sergei Bobrovsky. Andre Burakovsky and Christian Kyrou picked up the assists.
The lead lasted just 70 seconds. Jake McCabe tied the game before John Tavares put Toronto ahead to stay late in the first on a two-on-one with William Nylander. Jack Roslovic added a power-play goal in the second before former Senator Zack MacEwen and defenseman Morgan Rielly stretched the lead to 5-1.
Auston Matthews completed the scoring in the third, ripping one off the post and ending Leevi Meriläinen's night.
Meriläinen, who didn't have an NHL-caliber defence in front of him, was under siege all night, allowing all six goals before Jackson Parsons replaced him in the third.
The Senators went 0-for-4 on the power play, while the Leafs went 1-for-3.
The Sens had chances to make the score more respectable. Bobrovsky robbed Stützle on a one-timer from close range. Kasper Halttunen struck iron twice on the same shift.
The Senators did have Stützle, Drake Batherson, Shane Pinto, Michael Amadio, Burakovsky and Tyler Kleven in the lineup, but most of the rest of their roster was made up of players fighting for NHL jobs.
Carter Yakemchuk got the toughest assignment of the group. The Sens effectively threw him into the deep end to see if he would sink or swim. Yakemchuk led the Sens with 25:29 of ice time against a skilled Toronto lineup and had a difficult night. It was a reminder that the role he played Wednesday is a big step up from the limited, well-insulated minutes he saw during his brief NHL looks last season.
It was a rough night in both cities for the Senators. Their more experienced group also lost at home, falling 4-2 to Toronto’s other split squad, which featured a heavy load of AHL players.
The Sens will close their preseason Saturday night with two simultaneous games against Montreal, one at home and one on the road.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
