Leafs Edge Senators in Pre-Season Thriller, Flames and Oilers Split Matchups

Summary:

• The Toronto Maple Leafs jumped to a 3-0 first-period lead and held on for a 4-3 win against the Ottawa Senators.
• The Minnesota Wild topped the Winnipeg Jets (3-2) in OT while the Seattle Kraken defeated the Vancouver Canucks (5-3).
• The Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers split their two matchups. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t waste any time on Sunday night, during their pre-season matchup against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Craig Beruge’s squad came flying out of the gate, striking three times in the opening period and eventually hanging on for a tight 4-3 win.

Courtesy of Calle Jarnkrok, Nicholas Robertson, and William Villeneuve, who found the back of the net in the first, Toronto built a comfortable cushion that proved to suffice at the end of the night. While Ottawa clawed its way back just two minutes into the second with help from Ridly Greig, ultimately, the early damage was simply too hard to overcome.

Toronto didn’t delay its quick answer through Matthew Barbolini, who brought them back the three-goal lead at 4-1. From there on, the momentum shifted, as Arthur Kaliyev cut into the deficit before the period ended, and Olle Lycksell’s goal in the third pulled Ottawa within one. Despite pressing for the equalizer, the Senators couldn’t complete the comeback.

Between the pipes, Vyacheslav Peksa turned aside 16 of 18 shots for Toronto, while Artur Akhtyamov stopped 16 of 17. In parallel, Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark tagged for three goals on just eight shots before Mads Sogaard took over and reset the balance with 11 saves on 12 attempts.

The two rivals won’t have to wait long for a rematch, as they’ll meet up again on Tuesday at the Scotiabank Centre as part of a home-and-home series.

More NHL Pre-Season Action 

In Winnipeg, the Minnesota Wild stormed back to edge the Jets 3-2 in overtime. Yakov Trenin was the hero of the game, scoring his second of the night at 3:59 of the extra frame amid Hunter Haight’s tying the game late in regulation.

Out west in Seattle, the Kraken skated past the Vancouver Canucks 5-3. Highlights include Jani Nyman striking twice and Vince Dunn piling up three assists.

Alberta played host to two heated showdowns between the Flames and Oilers’ split squads. In Edmonton, Morgan Frost’s overtime winner gave Calgary a 3-2 victory, while up the road in Calgary, the Oilers responded with a 3-0 shutout win thanks to goals from Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Clattenburg, and Riley Stillman.