Playing his first game back from the NHL All-Star break, Ottawa Senators forward Josh Norris scored the eventual winning goal in the second period, powering his team to a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on home ice in Kanata, Ont.
Norris, Claude Giroux, Vladimir Tarasenko, Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig scored a goal each for the Senators, while Pinto added two assists to lead the team with three points on the night.
Joonas Korpisalo turned aside 31 shots to secure his 13th win of the season, as his team won three straight games for the first time since November.
Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies and Max Domi scored for the Maple Leafs, with Matthews’ goal marking his 42nd of the season, extending his lead atop the NHL goal-scoring charts. Martin Jones, who made his first start since a Jan. 20 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, made 27 saves for the Maple Leafs.
The Senators entered the final frame up 4-2, buoyed by Norris’ tally at the 15:13 mark of the second frame, as the 24-year-old intercepted a breakout pass from Toronto defenseman Simon Benoit before crossing the offensive zone and firing a wrist shot over Jones’ shoulder for his 13th goal of the campaign.
Ottawa’s control came after fighting back from an early deficit, as Matthews opened the scoring with a snapshot, dropping down to one knee to beat Korpisalo just 3:45 into the first period.
Pinto’s 3-2 goal marked his third since returning to the Senators’ lineup after missing the first 41 games of the season due to suspension, while Greig’s empty-net goal sparked a late-game scrum after the forward scored the insurance goal with an undefended slapshot.
The Maple Leafs were missing veteran blueliner Mark Giordano due to injury on Saturday, with William Lagesson drawing into the fold for his 22nd appearance of the season.
In the previous Battle of Ontario matchups, the Senators won twice in Toronto, 6-3 on Nov. 8 and 4-2 on Dec. 27, while the Maple Leafs picked up their lone win on Dec. 7 as the away team.
–Field Level Media
