Stephen Halliday scored the tiebreaking goal midway through the third period Saturday night and the visiting Ottawa Senators won their season opener, defeating the host Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2.
Newly appointed captain Thomas Chabot had a goal and assist and Michael Amadio also scored for Ottawa. Claude Giroux added two assists and Linus Ullmark stopped 27 shots.
Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost two of their first three games, all at home.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves for the Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs hit both posts with shots in the first period. Teddy Blueger hit the left post at 13:28 on a redirect. Jack Roslovic hit the right post at 13:58.
Ottawa scored the first goal when Chabot jumped up on the rush and knocked in a 12-footer off a rebound at 18:51 of the first period.
Toronto tied the game 33 seconds into the second period on a tip-in by Matthews on Morgan Rielly’s shot from the point.
Marchenko flipped in a backhand shot on a pass from Darren Raddysh at 7:06 of the second on a power play. Giroux was off for slashing.
Amadio tied the game at 12:40 of the second on a 2-on-1 counter with Tim Stutzle, who made a deft pass to the edge of the crease. Toronto had just been foiled on a rush.
Halliday snapped in a five-footer at 9:46 of the third on a rebound to give Ottawa the lead.
Toronto had a power-play chance at 14:20 of the third but did not get a shot on goal.
Bobrovsky was pulled for an extra attacker with just under three minutes left in regulation. Matthews hit the post at 18:08. Bobrovsky had to return to the net after the Senators applied pressure.
Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson did not return after the first period due to an undisclosed injury.
–Field Level Media
