Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Martin Gerber stopped 37 shots and six
different players scored for the Ottawa Senators in a 6-2 victory over the
Toronto Maple Leafs.
Mike Fisher, Andrej Meszaros, Patrick Eaves, Antoine Vermette, Dany Heatley
and Chris Neil each scored and had an assist for the Senators, who have won
three of their last four contests.
"It's good to finally click on the power play," Heatley said. "We got a lot of
shots tonight and that helps. We capitalized on opportunities."
Gerber was stellar in the victory, making 18 saves in the second period and 14
in the third en route to his second win of the season.
Matt Stajan and Mats Sundin tallied for the Maple Leafs, who have lost two
straight and finished 0-for-6 on the power play. Toronto plays at Ottawa
Thursday.
Andrew Raycroft stopped 16 of the 21 shots he faced and was pulled prior to
the third frame for Jean-Sebastien Aubin, who made 10 saves.
Ottawa got off to a torrid start, scoring five straight goals in the first two
periods.
Fisher scored his first goal of the year to give the Senators the lead at the
2:42 mark in the first period. Fisher, whose wrister beat the stick of
Raycroft, received the puck from Tom Preissing from inside the right circle.
Meszaros' one-timer sailed past Raycroft's glove side to give Ottawa a two-
goal lead 14:47 into the first. Wade Redden and Dean McAmmond notched assists
on the goal.
The Senators took a 3-0 advantage on the man advantage with 14 seconds
remaining in the period. Heatley sent the disc to Eaves, who did a complete
turn in front of the net and scored around the left side of a diving Raycroft.
Vermette's power-play goal at the 3:21 mark in the second frame put Ottawa up
by four. After receiving a centering pass from Fisher, Vermette snapped in the
puck during a four-on-four.
The Senators padded their lead 5-0 when Heatley's backhand shot zipped past
the stick of Raycroft 7:21 into the second, but just 49 ticks later, Toronto
got on the scoreboard with a goal from Stajan. After a faceoff from the right
circle, Jeff O'Neill hit Stajan in front of a sprawled-out Gerber for the easy
tip-in score.
Less than two minutes into the third, the Maple Leafs cut their deficit, 5-2,
when Sundin took a Darcy Tucker feed and used a wrist shot for the tally.
Ottawa answered back, though, when Neil netted the disc through the pads of
Aubin to regain a four-goal lead. Meszaros carried the puck behind the net,
then backhanded it to Neil for the goal.
