Tobias Lindberg's second of the game in overtime gave the Ottawa Senators' rookies a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs' rookies on Friday night in a see-saw battle that both teams holding leads, but the Senators coming back on 3 occasions to tie it up.
Max McCormick opened the scoring seconds after the game's second faceoff, and he tied the game with just 36 seconds left to force OT in a game that was an eventful one for the winger who has an outside shot at making the roster. He also took a double minor for high sticking in the second period that let the Leafs take a 2-1 lead before Lindberg's first of the game tied it up heading into the third. Matt Puempel, who wore the "C" for the game, also bulged the twine for Ottawa.
A bit of a concern for the Senators on the injury front as Buddy Robinson blocked a shot and had to leave the contest, and Mikael Wickstrand, who came to camp with an ailing ankle also couldn't finish the game. No word on the severity of either of those injuries.
Chris Dreidger started for Ottawa, and stopped 20 of 21 shots he faced before yielding the net to Matt O'Connor who stopped 20 of 23 shots and picked up the win.
It was the first taste of 3-on-3 overtime, and although we got to see just 33 seconds of it, there was certainly lots of open ice as Lindberg carried it from his own blue line basically uncontested and put a wrist shot through Leafs goalie Lucas Peressini.
The Leafs 2014 first round pick William Nylander, son of the "Swedish Wayne Gretzky" Michael Nylander, scored twice for Toronto.
It means absolutely nothing in the long run, but it is nice for the franchise to get the season started on a winning note!