National Hockey League
Ottawa 4, Toronto 3
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 14, 2021
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
Referees: Michael Markovic, Graham Skilliter
Linesmen: Steve Barton, Derek Nansen
Attendance: N/A

Goaltender Joey Daccord recorded his first career victory in an emergency start, while Brady Tkachuk and Ryan Dzingel scored first-period goals seven seconds apart and Drake Batherson tallied twice to lead the host Ottawa Senators to a 4-3 victory over the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs Sunday night.

The 24-year-old Daccord, who was given the net because Matt Murray was injured in warmup, stopped 33 shots for the Senators to record his milestone.

The Maple Leafs, who led the league standings a couple of weeks ago, have dropped five of six games, all in regulation time, and could relinquish the North Division lead by the time they return to action on Friday.

The Senators, who sit last in the all-Canadian division, used a quick-strike attack to open a two-goal lead and chase Toronto starting goalie Michael Hutchinson. Tkachuk opened the scoring when he intercepted Travis Boyd's ill-advised pass just inside the Toronto blueline, and converted a shot from the right face-off dot at the 6:06 mark for his 11th goal of the season.

Dzingel doubled the lead off the ensuing faceoff, getting the puck from Clark Bishop as he entered the offensive zone and slipping a shot home for his third goal in six games since rejoining the Senators following a trade from Carolina. It's the second fastest pair of goals scored in franchise history.

That spelled the end of the game for Hutchinson -- who stopped only one of three shots -- and Frederik Andersen took the net for Toronto, which wore throwback uniforms that honored the St. Patricks, their original nickname during the 1920s.

Zach Hyman put the visitors on the board when he pounced on a rebound in the middle of the opening period, but Batherson's goals early in the second period sent the Senators away for good.

After his power-play marker -- a gift of a goal thanks to an outstanding cross-ice pass from Tim Stutzle -- exactly five minutes into the second period made it a 3-1 game, Batherson lit the lamp again 53 seconds later when he chipped a rebound shot over Andersen's shoulder for his 11th of the season and 10th in the last 15 games.

Hyman collected his second of the game when he buried a rebound goal while the visitors had their goalie pulled with 5:20 remaining in regulation, and then William Nylander converted on another rebound opportunity with 132 seconds remaining to make it a one-goal game, but the visitors couldn't find one more to force overtime.

Andersen finished with 26 saves for Toronto.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Toronto   Ottawa
Zach Hyman 3 Points Drake Batherson 2
Zach Hyman 2 Goals Drake Batherson 2
Zach Hyman 1 Assists Brady Tkachuk 1
N/A Power Play Goals Drake Batherson 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Frederik Andersen .929 Save Percentage Joey Daccord .917
Frederik Andersen 26 Saves Joey Daccord 33
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Toronto 36 3 0-1 2-3 21 25
Ottawa 31 4 1-3 1-1 7 25
Upcoming Games
  • Ottawa will play their next game at home against Vancouver. The Senators have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .286 after a loss.
  • Toronto will play their next game at home against Calgary. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .632 after a win and .600 after a loss.