TORONTO - The Ottawa Senators rallied for their fifth win in the last six games and a perfect three-game road trip, topping the rival Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday night.
Tom Pyatt scored the shootout winner after Mike Hoffman notched the game-tying goal with 71 seconds left in regulation. Bobby Ryan also found the back of the net for Ottawa (25-15-4), second in the Atlantic division with 54 points - two points up on the Leafs, who have now lost two straight.
Mike Condon made 31 stops in the win, edging Frederik Andersen, who gave up two goals on 27 shots.
Tyler Bozak and Matt Martin both scored for Toronto, which dropped to 1-6 in the shootout this season.
The two teams were meeting for the second time in a week, the Leafs capturing the earlier Jan. 14 affair 4-2 in the nation's capital. Toronto was coming off a porous effort against the Rangers on Thursday night, one that head coach Mike Babcock dubbed as “terrible” for its lacking competitiveness.
It was the Sens who gripped control for the better part of this latest matchup, Ryan opening the scoring 14 minutes into the first period. The 29-year-old craftily tipped a Marc Methot point shot beyond Andersen for his 10th goal this year.
Toronto's goaltender had to be sharp in the early-going. He turned down a Ryan Dzingel break down the left side of one Ottawa power play, also getting in front of Curtis Lazar's re-direction attempt at one point.
Superb with a .948 save percentage in December, Andersen has slowed in January, entering the game with an .888 save percentage in seven starts.
Ottawa outshot Toronto 13-7 in the first, garnering three power plays, none of which connected. The Leafs came into the night with the league's fourth-best penalty kill (84.9 per cent).
Starting for the 19th time in the last 21 games for Ottawa, Condon was steady as the Leafs made an early push in the second. The 26-year-old shut down a rush opportunity from Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, and then later managed to deny Marner on a rebound attempt.
Toronto broke through, however, on the power play.
Bozak was positioned in the slot when he was fed from the goal-line by James van Riemsdyk. The 30-year-old flipped a shot over Condon's right shoulder for the 1-1 lead. It was Bozak's 12th goal of the year, second in as many games and fifth in the past seven outings.
Van Riemsdyk extended his point to 10 games with the assist, totalling three goals and 11 assists in that span.
A short while later the Sens appeared to lose Chris Kelly to an apparent injury. Kelly was tripped in the defensive zone by Leo Komarov, landing awkwardly on the ice. He returned for the third period.
Zach Hyman, who drew the penalty on Dion Phaneuf which led to the first Toronto power-play goal, got his team another power play when he was clipped by Ryan. The Leafs, boasting the second-best power play in the league, got four shots on the four-minute advantage, but couldn't beat Condon.
Condon was coming off a 42-save shutout against Columbus, filling in admirably for Craig Anderson, who's expected to rejoin the team sometime soon. Anderson has been away from the team since December, spending time with his wife Nicholle while she underwent cancer treatment.
Toronto controlled the second frame, outshooting Ottawa 15-4 while firing 18 attempts on goal to just eight for the Senators. William Nylander was particularly engaged for the home side, firing four shots and six attempts over the first 40 minutes.
The Leafs were sporting a slightly different-looking defence for the second straight game without top defender Morgan Rielly. Martin Marincin returned from an 18-game absence (lower-body injury) to join a pair with rookie Nikita Zaitsev, while Jake Gardiner returned to his usual spot beside Connor Carrick after starting last game with Zaitsev.
Shortly after Condon denied a pair of van Riemsdyk shots, Martin put the Leafs in front deflecting a Nazem Kadri shot between the pads of the Senators goalie. It was the second goal in three games and fourth this season for Martin, who went almost two months between goals previously.
Kadri intercepted an Erik Karlsson clearing attempt along the boards before firing the shot on goal.
The Senators evened the score 2-2 with a power-play goal in the waning minutes of regulation, Hoffman's one-time attempt just sneaking through Andersen's pads with Ryan screening in front.
Toronto's challenge of goalie interference was denied.
Marner's nifty shootout goal had to be reviewed, officials ultimately determining that the 19-year-old remained in forward motion and did not interfere with Condon.
Pyatt won it in the skill challenge for Ottawa, which swept a brief road trip with victories in St. Louis, Columbus and Toronto.
