First Period

This was a bad period of hockey. The Sens scored in the first minute, they outshot the Leafs for over half a period, and only two power plays for the Leafs made up for that a little bit. The Leafs were abjectly terrible at five-on-five, with no zone time, not one single good shot of any kind.

This is the goal against:

This is the pathetic heat map in all-situations, so this is as favourable to the Leafs as possible.

This is the only good player:

Okay, actually Conor Timmins was okay.

Score was 1-0 Ottawa after one.

Second Period

This was a bad period of hockey. The Sens scored twice early, and the Leafs were not going to draw penalties playing like they were, so ... they were functionally nullified.

Conor Timmins, otherwise good, took an interference penalty late in the period and Brady Tkachuk went off right away with same.

The goals:

What went wrong? The Leafs lost board battles, lost the puck on zone exits, lost the puck on zone entries – do you remember last season when play around the bluelines was where they had trouble? They were slow compared to Ottawa, less sure of themselves, and behind the play.

And when you get hemmed in, you end up dumping out – bad – you end up dumping it in for a line change – worse, and then you just end up never controlling the play – worst.

It's the spiral of doom that's very hard to get out of.

Flat line city after the Sens goals.

Score was very deservedly 3-0 for Ottawa.

Third Period

It doesn't matter how well the Leafs played. The score says all Ottawa needed was a decent goalie. Linus Ullmark worked a little harder in the third, but nothing any NHL goalie couldn't handle.

Leafs got lucky with a puck-over-glass power play.

They produced the version that's spread out along the boards, slow passes, no good shots. Well, one good tip chance.

Stolarz came way out into "you're getting run, it's only a question of how hard" territory, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson went a little hardcore on Shane Pinto. If you're negating the power play, might as well go for it, I guess.

It was moderately interesting to see Craig Berube pull the goalie really early like he's dropped by the game analysis department in the Leafs offices. Actually, I wonder if team nerdologists present that stuff to coaches like a gambling system if that works better.

Matt Knies taking a penalty for cross-checking while up six on five was the capper on a game played badly at every opportunity.

Final score was 3-0 Sens, and all I have to say on that is booooooo.

Next game is tomorrow against the legitimately hot Washington Capitals helmed by the ex-Leaf assistant Spencer Carbery. If the coach is the ex, does everyone get a goal?

See you then.

Game Coverage