Simon Benoit scored at 1:19 of overtime on Thursday to lift the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs to a 3-2 win against the Ottawa Senators in Game 3 and a commanding 3-0 lead in their first-round series.
Auston Matthews won a faceoff and sent the puck back to the defenseman, who fired it from the left point through traffic for Toronto’s second straight overtime win. The Maple Leafs can eliminate the Senators in Game 4 on Saturday in Ottawa.
” ‘Benny’ has played extremely well for us defensively and being hard to play against and does all those things,” said Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube. “It’s nice when guys like that are rewarded with a big goal.”
Matthews also scored, as did Matthew Knies, and Mitch Marner had two assists for the Maple Leafs. Anthony Stolarz made 18 saves.
Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist for the Senators and Linus Ullmark stopped 17 of 20 shots.
“One shot away again,” Giroux said. “it’s definitely very frustrating, but no need to pout and think of what could have been. We’ve got to move on here, we’ve got to go to Game 4. The fans were incredible tonight. It was incredible to play in front of those fans, definitely gave us a boost. All we have to do right now is just worry about Game 4.”
Matthews scored his first goal of the series to give Toronto a 2-1 lead 32 seconds into the third period. Marner retrieved a pass behind the net and fed it to Matthews at the bottom of the right circle. With Ullmark looking behind to the opposite side, Matthews quickly snapped it past him.
“Usually when you give him that look, he’s never missing,” Marner said.
Brady Tkachuk tied it 2-2 at 11:22 on Ottawa’s first shot of the period, taking a pass from Giroux. Using Toronto defenseman Brandon Carlo as a screen, Tkachuk wired a wrist shot from above the left circle that beat Stolarz over his blocker.
Giroux tallied on a five-on-three advantage to put the Senators ahead 1-0 at 1:38 of the second period, giving them their first lead of the series.
Jake Sanderson took a pass from Drake Batherson across the blue line and left it for Giroux at the top of the left circle. Giroux collected it and went above the slot before firing a wrist shot that beat a screened Stolarz.
Toronto’s power play responded with a goal of its own to tie it 1-1 at 8:31.
After receiving a feed from Knies at the top of the right circle, Marner quickly dished the puck over to William Nylander on the opposite side. Nylander’s shot went off Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub and bounced toward the net, where Knies corralled it and sent a backhand cross-crease pass. Instead, the puck hit the skate of Senators forward Shane Pinto and trickled into the net.
–Field Level Media
