Ottawa Senators Defeat Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in Season Opener

Thomas Chabot scored the opening goal in his debut as Ottawa’s captain, and Stephen Halliday notched the third-period winner as the Ottawa Senators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena, spoiling the home team’s opening week.

The Senators finally hit the ice for their 2026-27 campaign after watching the rest of the Atlantic Division play, using their speed to overcome an idle week and an early injury to a key defenseman.

Chabot Scores in Captaincy Debut as Ottawa Strikes First

Playing their first game of the season while Toronto had already suited up twice, the Senators wasted little time establishing control. Chabot put Ottawa ahead 1-0 at 18:52 of the first period, firing in a rebound at the side of the net after Shane Pinto’s initial shot was deflected in the slot by Claude Giroux.

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“It was awesome, I’m not going to lie. I’ve never been the guy to make it about myself, but scoring the first one of the game was pretty cool. My parents were here too in the building. It’s been a special last couple days, just happy we got the first win of the year.”

Thomas Chabot, Ottawa Senators captain, via NHL

The tally extended a remarkable franchise milestone. It marked the 11th consecutive season that the Senators scored the game’s first goal in their season opener, tying a National Hockey League record previously set by the New York Islanders between 1997 and 2009 and the Boston Bruins from 1972 to 1983.

Sanderson’s Early Exit Tests Ottawa’s Blue Line

The victory came with a significant cost on the back end. Already playing without Artem Zub, the Senators lost top defenseman Jake Sanderson for the final 47 minutes after he left the game with an injury following an entanglement along the boards with Toronto’s Nick Paul.

Senators vs. Maple Leafs | NHL Highlights | Oct 3, 2026

Sanderson stayed on the bench during the first period but did not take a shift over the final seven minutes of that frame, eventually leaving for the remainder of the night. Head coach Travis Green noted the issue was distinct from the ailment that limited Sanderson late in the preseason. With their defensive anchor sidelined, Chabot absorbed a game-high 26 minutes and 35 seconds of ice time to help stabilize the depleted corps.

Matthews and Marchenko Counter for Toronto

Toronto responded in the second period, dominating play by outshooting Ottawa 14-4 and generating a 21-4 advantage in five-on-five attempts. Captain Auston Matthews tied the game 1-1 at 33 seconds of the second by redirecting Morgan Rielly’s point shot past Linus Ullmark.

Ottawa Senators Defeat Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in Season Opener — Photo: Yahoo

The Maple Leafs grabbed their first lead at 7:06 of the middle frame on the power play. Darren Raddysh fed a pass from the point to newly acquired winger Kirill Marchenko, who stepped toward the slot and backhanded a shot past Ullmark’s blocker for his first goal with Toronto.

“It’s an amazing feeling. I am happy so much but I’d be most happy if we’d win the game tonight. It’s an unbelievable feeling, how fans support me too, my teammates on the ice, but still we need to find a way to win these games.”

Kirill Marchenko, Toronto Maple Leafs forward, via NHL

Ottawa Scores Late to Beat Toronto

Michael Amadio pulled Ottawa even at 12:40 of the second, redirecting a pass from Tim Stützle on a 2-on-1 break past Sergei Bobrovsky. The decisive blow arrived in the third stanza.

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Stephen Halliday broke the 2-2 deadlock at 9:46 of the third period, chipping a rebound past Bobrovsky just moments after a Toronto penalty expired. A subsequent tripping penalty to Jack Roslovic halted the Maple Leafs’ momentum, leaving them unable to equalize during a late 6-on-5 push.

Some unlucky bounces, some posts, and then just got a little undisciplined at the end, and they capitalize (two seconds after) their power play, and you’re trying to chase it the last six, seven minutes to find one.

Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs captain, via Sportsnet

Toronto finished the night lamenting missed opportunities, hitting the goalpost or crossbar six times behind Ullmark, who stopped 27 shots. The Senators held a 5.01-3.26 edge in expected goals and won 64 per cent of the puck battles, dropping the Maple Leafs to 1-2-0 on the young season.