The Toronto Maple Leafs capped off a primetime Saturday night clash against the Ottawa Senators with a dominant 5-0 win. The Senators losing streak is now at 6, dating back to before the All-Star break.
Phil Kessel was the star of the evening with 3 points on 2 assists and one goal, but James Reimer deserves credit for back-to-back shutouts in goal for Toronto. On Ottawa’s side there was little to be pleased with. They did manage to outscore Toronto in one statistical category, number of penalties accumulated.
After managing just 24 shots on goal last night against the Islanders the team more than doubled that figure with 49 tonight. The Senators had their moments against the Maple Leafs defense, and that is something they will give you, but they simply could not convert opportunities into points.
The Senators are still 27-17 and control their destiny with an excellent shot at the postseason, despite this recent skid. The team has upcoming games with the Oilers and Predators on the homestand so they can still salvage their time in front of their fans, but they need to get their act together quickly. Teams are defined by how they play in the second half of the season and right now Toronto is trending up and Ottawa is trending down.
