National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Ottawa 4, Toronto 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
Referees: Frederic L'Ecuyer, Marc Joannette
Linesmen: Don Henderson, Matt MacPherson
Attendance: 18894

Senators 4, Maple Leafs 3: Defenseman Erik Karlsson scored a pair of goals as host Ottawa handed Toronto its sixth consecutive defeat heading into the All-Star break.

Rookie Mike Hoffman netted one goal and set up another while Mika Zibanejad also scored as the Senators beat the Maple Leafs for only the second time in their last nine meetings. Bobby Ryan collected a pair of assists and Craig Anderson turned aside 37 shots as Ottawa won for the third time in nine overall games (3-4-2).

David Clarkson, Nazem Kadri and James van Riemsdyk scored for Toronto, which was unable to climb out of a 3-0 first-period hole and suffered its 14th defeat in 17 games (3-14-0). Defenseman Jake Gardiner notched two assists and James Reimer made 22 saves for the Maple Leafs, who had scored a total of two goals in their previous five losses.

The Senators jumped on top on Hoffman's wrist shot from the high slot 2:02 into the contest and Karlsson doubled the lead nearly 10 minutes later, finishing a perfect give-and-go with Hoffman with a one-timer from the left faceoff circle. Ryan set up the third goal with 19.8 seconds left in the first period, sliding a pass to Zibanejad for a one-timer from the slot.

Clarkson started the comeback attempt with 6:05 left in the second, chopping a bouncing puck past Anderson from in front, and Kadri's blast from the top of the left circle during a power play at 2:36 of the third cut the deficit to 3-2. Karlsson restored the two-goal advantage by burying a one-timer from above the right circle with 4:40 to play, but van Riemsdyk cleaned up a juicy rebound with 83 seconds remaining to get Toronto back within one.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Hoffman scored for the sixth time in 12 games since the Christmas break to boost his team-high total to 16 goals, which also leads all NHL rookies. ... Clarkson not only ended his 14-game goal-scoring drought but also halted an 11-game stretch without a point. ... Senators RW Mark Stone picked up an assist on Hoffman's tally to extend his point streak to seven games.
Top Game Performances
 
Toronto   Ottawa
Jake Gardiner 2 Points Erik Karlsson 2
David Clarkson 1 Goals Erik Karlsson 2
Jake Gardiner 2 Assists Bobby Ryan 2
Nazem Kadri 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
James Reimer .846 Save Percentage Craig Anderson .925
James Reimer 22 Saves Craig Anderson 37
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Toronto 40 3 1-3 2-2 11 29
Ottawa 26 4 0-2 2-3 13 32
Upcoming Games
  • Ottawa will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Senators have a W/L % of .316 after a win and .481 after a loss.
  • Toronto will play their next game on the road against New Jersey. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .522 after a win and .400 after a loss.