Canadian hockey news — Senators Beat Leafs in Ottawa’s season opener: the visiting Senators spoiled the home party at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday, October 3, edging the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in the last season opener of the NHL calendar, with new captain Thomas Chabot opening the scoring in the first game of his reign.
By Maplestime News Desk | Toronto, Ontario | October 5, 2026
Sources: NHL.com (Dave McCarthy), theScore (Associated Press) | Last updated: October 5, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Senators Beat Leafs 3-2 — the visiting Ottawa Senators edged the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Scotiabank Arena in the last NHL season opener.
- Thomas Chabot scored the opener and added an assist in his first game as Senators captain, finishing with two points.
- Stephen Halliday broke a 2-2 tie at 9:46 of the third period, jamming home a rebound just as a Leafs penalty expired.
- Linus Ullmark made 27 saves for Ottawa; Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 for Toronto. Shots were even at 29-29.
- The Leafs fall to 1-2-0, with all three games decided by one goal — all at home.
Senators Beat Leafs: How Ottawa Stole the Opener
The Senators were the last team in the league to drop the puck on a new season, and they made the wait worth it. Thomas Chabot — in his first game wearing the C after taking over the captaincy from Brady Tkachuk — scored late in the first period and added an assist to finish with two points. That is how you announce yourself as a captain — and it set the tone for a Senators Beat Leafs night in which Ottawa never trailed and never blinked.
The night belonged to the visitors, but the Leafs gave it a proper fight. Auston Matthews tied the game 33 seconds into the second period, and Kirill Marchenko — who had joined the Leafs from the Columbus Blue Jackets just the day before — scored his first goal as a Maple Leaf on the power play at 7:06 of the second. Michael Amadio answered for Ottawa at 12:40 of the second, finishing a 2-on-1 off a Tim Stutzle pass to knot it at 2-2.
Then came the winner. At 9:46 of the third, Stephen Halliday broke the tie, jamming home a rebound off Fabian Zetterlund’s shot just as a Leafs penalty expired. Claude Giroux added two assists for Ottawa in a night of quiet, veteran efficiency.
Goaltending and Grit: Ullmark Holds the Fort
Shots were dead even at 29-29, and the goalies were the story in the middle frames. Linus Ullmark made 27 saves for Ottawa — “I thought Linus was outstanding, especially when we were defending tired,” said Senators coach Travis Green. It was the kind of performance that explains why Senators Beat Leafs on nights when Toronto actually generates its chances: Ottawa’s penalty kill and its goaltender absorbed the Leafs’ best punches. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 at the other end, and could hardly be faulted on the deciding rebound.
Leafs coach Jim Hiller was blunt afterward: “We need to finish some of the chances we had. We had enough chances to win the game, no question. Then just some careless penalties. I thought the two penalties in the third period really hurt us, took our momentum away and gave them some life and they pushed hard.” One of those kills never even finished before Halliday’s winner.
Chabot kept it simple: “Awesome game. I thought we came out great in the first (period)… We played exactly to the way we want to play, we didn’t give them anything. Our penalty kill stepped up big time. … Just happy we got it done.”
Injury Cloud: Jake Sanderson Leaves Early
Not all of Ottawa’s news was good. Top defenceman Jake Sanderson left the game after about six shifts in the first period with an undisclosed injury and did not return. He had already missed part of training camp, which makes this one worth watching — the next time Senators Beat Leafs, Ottawa will want Sanderson on the blue line for all sixty minutes.
What the Loss Means for the Maple Leafs
The Leafs drop to 1-2-0, and here is the damning detail: all three games were decided by one goal, and all three were at home. That is not a goaltending problem — Bobrovsky has been fine. It is a finishing and discipline problem, and Hiller said as much. The chances are there. The finishing is not. The careless penalties are.
Toronto has the roster to be a contender every October. But Senators Beat Leafs for a reason the Leafs won’t like admitting: the visitors finished their chances, killed their penalties, and got the save when it mattered. The question now is whether this version of the Leafs — one that can’t finish at home and can’t stay out of the box — is the October version or the June version.
Maplestime will provide updates from the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs 2026-27 season as announcements are made.
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Is this the start of a real statement season for Chabot’s Senators — or just another October Leafs stumble that means nothing come spring? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Canadian who lives for hockey season.
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