Captain Chabot leads the way in Senators' season-opening win over Leafs

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Fabian Zetterlund: C

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On the play that led to Halliday’s winner, Zetterlund made an athletic move to get off a one-timer on an awkward cross-ice pass from Giroux that was a foot too far in front of the Swede. Other than the aforementioned feed to Eklund, there wasn’t much more to Zettlerund’s game. The second line had little-to-no chemistry. Zetterlund didn’t play the final 6:08 of the third.

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Shane Pinto: A

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Follow Pinto around the ice and it’s impossible not to marvel at the details of his game. He thwarted a ton of seam pass attempts in the defensive zone, throwing cold water on the Leafs’ attack especially late in the game while protecting the lead. Five of his seven shot attempts were fired pointblank from the right slot and looked destined to touch twine. He was even better than Cozens at getting shots of from the bumper on the power play. Pinto’s slick centring pass to Giroux for a redirect on the rush led to Chabot’s 1-0 goal. Stutzle was the only forward that played more than Pinto (20:27).

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Michael Amadio: A

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Perhaps a sign that his wretched luck on offence is being left behind in 2025-26, Amadio made no mistake finishing on a sweet setup from Stutzle for the 2-2 goal. The defensive stalwart was reliable as ever, and forced a good amount of O-zone turnovers, fishing pucks out of feet in board battles and finding Giroux and Pinto in the slot. Amadio drew a tripping penalty and hit a cross-bar in the third.

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Claude Giroux: A

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Green has found the perfect fit for Giroux on the third line. Not that he’s incapable of winning battles, but his younger, stronger linemates are doing the majority of the dirty work down low while he anticipates the play in the F3 position, stalking clearing attempts, outlet passes and loose pucks. If the NHL tracked interceptions, he would’ve finished with a dozen. Giroux’s hockey IQ, playmaking and poise with the puck shine brightly on the shutdown trio. Oh, and he also went 10-for-12 in face-offs.

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Stephen Halliday: B-

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If Halliday can clean up some defensive details — he was still missing some assignments and had one dreadful shift in the second mismatched with Auston Matthews — then he’ll be a solid candidate to move up in the lineup. His playmaking is just sublime, and kind of going to waste playing with more traditional fourth liners like Nick Cousins and Hayden Hodgson. When Halliday got on the ice alongside more talented teammates, he created some real magic. Despite the goal, he remains extremely pass-first. If he adds some selfishness to his play with the puck, he could become even more dangerous.

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Nick Cousins: C

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Cousins got in on the forecheck, threw some hits and had an important block midway through the third. A neutral zone turnover led to a scoring chance against in the second, but he wasn’t a liability playing 7:21.

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Hayden Hodgson: C-

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Hodgson took a run at Ekman-Larsson in the first and then did it again the next shift. The Toronto defencemen did not like that at all. Hodgson is a ball of energy. He had four hits in just 5:10. Of course, there is much to be desired in the rest of his game.

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Defencemen

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Jake Sanderson: N/A

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Sanderson stumbled awkwardly while attempting a hit on Nick Paul mid-first. He was irate on the bench afterwards, knowing his night was over. There was no update on Sanderson’s status post-game.

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Thomas Chabot: A

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Stepping up with the Senators’ star blue liner out, that’s a statement performance from Chabot, who had two points and an incredible seven blocks in a team-high 27:06 of ice time. Chabot is a master at knowing exactly when to jump up in the play, following up on a Carter Yakemchuk neutral-zone pinch in the first, starting the counter and getting lost on the rush to score on a Giroux rebound to make it 1-0. Sensing an opportunity in the second, he wandered into the high slot, took a pass from Halliday and drew a slashing penalty while nearly deking out Bobrovsky.

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Jordan Spence: B

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Confidently activating down the right side of the offensive zone, Spence could’ve had multiple goals sneaking into soft spaces, and kept plays alive while pinching to chip pucks around opposing players to a friendly jersey. He blocked a Jack Roslovic shot in the third, but did get walked a couple times in the D zone.

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Tyler Kleven: C+

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Kleven had a decent game, providing some stability for Yakemchuk when they were paired together, finishing hits and tying up forecheckers so his rookie partner could take an extra half second to start the breakout. Kleven could’ve been better with his clears, icing the puck twice in one shift in the second. He wasn’t the only one guilty of this, but the Senators’ D allowed far too many centring passes to reach the goal mouth, not utilizing an active stick enough while gapping up. Kleven got two minutes for simply hitting Stecher in the third.