TORONTO - The Ottawa Senators got the best of The Monster.
Daniel Alfredsson's second-period goal on a penalty shot gave the Senators a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
The Senators captain used a nifty backhand deke move against Swedish countryman Jonas Gustavsson to help lift his team to its first victory of the young season.
Shean Donovan had the other goal for Ottawa (1-1-0).
Matt Stajan replied for the Maple Leafs (0-2-1).
After two losses with No. 1 goalie Vesa Toskala in net, Toronto gave Gustavsson his first career NHL start. The 24-year-old was steady in his debut but didn't get much help from the offence.
Stajan found himself with a chance to tie the game in the dying seconds but was unable to get the puck past Pascal Leclaire's outstretched pad. That helped secure Leclaire's first victory in an Ottawa uniform.
Games between these teams have traditionally been referred to as the Battle of Ontario, but this one featured very little battle. There was a surprising lack of energy given that both teams were after their first victory of the season.
One of the few signs life in the first period saw Maple Leafs rookie Viktor Stalberg leave with an injury. He was crushed by Anton Volchenkov while cruising into the Sens zone and didn't return for the final 40 minutes.
The only goals to get past Gustavsson were scored 37 seconds apart in the second period.
The Swedish goalie was on his back during a long scramble that ended with Donovan batting the puck out of the air and in at 6:45. The Sens fourth-liner was a healthy scratch in the season opener and displayed a big toothless grin on the bench after a video reviewed confirmed he didn't catch the puck with a high-stick.
Leafs defencemen Luke Schenn and Francois Beauchemin were on the ice for the opening goal and remained out there when Milan Michalek took a breakaway pass soon after. Schenn ended up catching the Sens winger with a high-stick while hauling him down, giving the Sens a penalty shot and a two-minute power play at the same time.
Alfredsson took the attempt in place of Michalek and beat Gustavsson at 7:22. Earlier in the day, the Leafs goalie had said Alfredsson was one of his heroes when he was growing up.
Ottawa took the 2-0 lead into the third period, but soon saw the advantage narrowed. Tomas Kaberle found Stajan with a great cross-ice pass on the power play and the Leafs centre one-timed it behind Leclaire at 5:36.
Suddenly, Toronto found itself with some momentum. Mike Komisarek appeared to have the tying goal, but his blast from point caromed off both posts and out.
Gustavsson was forced to stand tall when Schenn coughed the puck up to Michalek, giving his team a chance to tie the game.
Notes: Ottawa plays its home opener on Thursday night against John Tavares and the New York Islanders ... Stajan's goal was his third of the season. It took him nine games to reach that mark a year ago ... Jamal Mayers, Wayne Primeau and Jeff Finger were scratched for Toronto ... Filip Kuba and Ryan Shannon sat out for the Sens ... The Maple Leafs took four of six games from Ottawa last season ... Former Leaf Gary Roberts, who retired earlier this year, was honoured before the game ... Announced attendance was 18,830.
