Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Francois Beauchemin scored the game-winning goal early in the third period, as the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the Ottawa Senators, 3-2, at Air Canada Centre.
Maple Leafs Take Third Battle Of Ontario Over Senators, 3-2
Jason Blake had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who have won two in a row and six of eight overall. Phil Kessel scored the other goal for Toronto, which has won four in a row at home. Vesa Toskala stopped 22-of-24 shots for the victors.
Mike Fisher and Jason Spezza lit the lamp for the Senators, who had a two-game win streak snapped. Brian Elliott stopped 21 shots in defeat.
With the score tied at 2-2, Beauchemin’s one-timer from the right point beat traffic in front and got past Elliott at the 6:02 mark of the third.
The Sens pulled Elliott late for an extra attacker. Ottawa thought they had tied the game with 35.3 seconds remaining, as Jesse Winchester kicked in a rebound with his skate. The refs called it no goal on the ice. After review, the call was upheld and the Maple Leafs held on from there.
After a scoreless first period, the Maple Leafs scored just 2:15 into the second. Blake gathered the puck at his own blue line and charged down the right side of the ice. His backhander went through the five-hole of Elliott.
Fisher’s score at the 13:07 mark deadlocked the tilt at 1-1. Fisher led a 2- on-2 attack into the Toronto zone before firing a shot on net. Toskala made the save but Fisher was right there to knock home his own rebound.
Kessel put the Maple Leafs back on top just 59 seconds later. Alexei Ponikarovsky controlled the disc at his own blue line and slid a perfect cross-ice pass to an open Kessel, who fired a wrister just inside the right post.
Matt Stajan was called for holding the stick 43 seconds into the third, giving the Senators a man advantage. Daniel Alfredsson controlled the puck at the point before sliding a pass to the left side of the net for Spezza, whose shot got past Toskala at the 1:12 mark to tie things up.
Ottawa leads the season series with Toronto, 2-1...Toronto forwards Niklas Hagman and Mikhail Grabovski had six-game point streaks snapped.
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