The Ottawa Senators jumped out to an early lead against the Toronto Maple Leafs in this season’s pre-season opener, and never looked back. It was a messy game, with young players learning systems and old players getting their legs back, but the good news is that Ottawa won a game that—based on the respective lineups each team iced—they definitely should have won.
As expected, Ottawa’s top players—Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Craig Anderson—were very good. Dion Phaneuf was his typical, physical, dependable self. Most of the other veterans (Zack Smith, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Cody Ceci) looked like they were just getting their legs under them.