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The odds may be against Zack Ostapchuk earning a roster spot with the Ottawa Senators.
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With seven games of NHL experience under his belt, Ostapchuk knows every little positive thing he does could make a difference.
His short-handed goal Tuesday night at Canadian Tire Centre was the difference in a 2-1 Senators win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With the Senators short-handed, Ostapchuk stripped Nicolas Mattinen of the puck deep in the Toronto end and scored on Dennis Hildeby with 7:24 left in the game.
“It definitely felt good,” said Ostapchuk. “I wasn’t too happy with my first period. So to get (the goal), it was big for our team … it’s nice.”
Asked about his training camp so far, he said: “It’s been all right. But I know I have another gear.”
“It’s one game, (Ostapchuk) has been good in camp,” said Senators coach Travis Green. “I thought his game tonight started slow. Like a lot of players, sometimes you get more ice time, you play better. The second half of the game, he was very good.”
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Sunday, the Senators opened their pre-season with a 6-5 overtime win over a veteran-heavy lineup of Maple Leafs. Tuesday, it was the Senators who had the experience advantage, with the Leafs giving a lot of younger players a good look.
“I didn’t mind it – tight-checking game, not wide-open,” said Green. “I like that we stuck with it.”
The Leafs opened the scoring 6:29 in; Alex Steeves found the puck in between a logjam of bodies in the faceoff circle and wristed a shot past Anton Forsberg, who didn’t appear to see the puck.
Forsberg played the entire game, making 14 saves.
With the man advantage, the Senators had several chances in the late stages of the first period, but Anthony Stolarz made some big stops.
Ottawa tied the game with 3:33 left in the first period as Jake Sanderson moved in from the blue line and snapped a shot into the net glove side.
With an “upper-body” injury, Ridly Greig left the game after being flipped to the ice late in the first period and didn’t return. After the game, Green said Greig had “a bit of a headache, so I kept him out.”
Twenty seconds into the third period, Ottawa’s Cole Reinhardt and Toronto’s Pontus Holmberg dropped the gloves and fought.
Next up for the Senators is a Thursday night home game against the Buffalo Sabres.
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