The Leafs and Sens squared off for the second time in two days, this time at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs elected to dress more regulars in this game than yesterday’s. Here are tonight’s three stars:
First Star – Jacob Chychrun
Chychrun was an absolute beast the entire game. His presence was felt in both the offensive zone and the defensive zone. He was great on the powerplay and equally as great on the penalty kill. There’s no question he was a slam dunk of a pickup for the Ottawa Senators. He finished the night with two goals, including the overtime game winning goal, and six blocks. Simply outstanding. I think it’s safe to say the Sens blueline is in very good hands for the foreseeable future, with the likes of Sanderson, Chychrun, and Chabot anchoring it.
Second Star – Easton Cowan
If you didn’t know who Easton Cowan was prior to puck drop tonight, he definitely made sure you would know who he was after his performance in this one. He was all over the ice, and his presence was felt every single time he was on the ice. He made no mistake finishing off a tic tac toe play as he found some open ice in the slot and made absolutely no mistake burying the one-timer past Mads Sogaard. He also chipped in with an assist as well, and he drew an assist on the Joseph Blandisi goal that cut the Sens lead to 3-2. While I don’t anticipate Cowan making the opening night roster this year, I think he is going to leave a lasting impression on the coaching staff as well as the front office.
Third Star – Mads Sogaard
While there weren’t a ton of high-danger scoring chances throughout this game, Mads Sogaard was incredibly solid for the Sens when he needed to be. He faced a total of 40 shots in this one, and he turned aside 37 of them, giving him a 0.925 save percentage on the night, pretty impressive from the 22-year-old Denmark native. It is likely that the Sens goaltending duo on opening night will be Jonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg. In saying that, Mads Sogaard is beginning to prove that the Sens have some great depth at the goaltending position heading into the 2023/24 season.
The Leafs return to action on Wednesday as they will do battle with their QEW rivals in the Buffalo Sabres!
