The Maple Leafs travelled to Ottawa to take on the Senators for the second time in three days to begin their preseason schedule, but Toronto’s lineup for Tuesday’s rematch bore little resemblance to the veteran-laden squad that took the ice for Sunday’s overtime loss. Icing a roster led by Matthew Knies, David Kämpf, and Nick Robertson, the Leafs once again came up a goal short against a Senators lineup that featured most of their mainstays.

Alex Steeves opened the scoring just under seven minutes into the opening frame, snapping a quick shot off a scrambled draw that caught Senators netminder Anton Forsberg off guard. The Leafs were unable to build off of their early lead, and the Senators controlled much of the play throughout the remainder of the first period. With the Leafs pinned in their own zone and Easton Cowan rendered helpless after breaking his stick earlier in the shift, training camp standout Nikita Grebenkin got caught scrambling in coverage. Jake Sanderson was able to walk in from the point easily and beat Anthony Stolarz to tie the game at one before the end of the period.

The Leafs got into penalty trouble in the first period, and that leaked into the middle frame as well, but they were able to weather the storm due in large part to the play of Stolarz between the pipes. He could hardly be faulted for the Sanderson goal in the first period, and that was his lone blemish as he made a number of solid stops to keep the game tied before he was relieved by Dennis Hildeby midway through the period. Hildeby wasted little time making his mark on the game, and he was forced to make a remarkable save on the first shot he faced after entering the game.

The two teams began the third period tied at a goal apiece, but the Senators felt there was a score to settle after Ridly Grieg was forced to leave the game in the first period. Greig got tangled up with Pontus Holmberg behind the play with Holmberg dragging Greig to the ice and forcing an awkward fall. Whether there was intent or not, the recent history between Greig and the Leafs was enough for Cole Reinhardt to challenge Holmberg on the opening shift of the third period, and Holmberg answered the bell.

Hildeby continued to stand tall in the Leafs’ net as the Senators pushed to take the lead, but he was unable to salvage a horrendous turnover by Nicolas Mattinen as the last man back on the power play, and Zach Ostapchuk took advantage to bury the eventual game-winner.

Toronto’s B lineup struggled to generate much in the way of sustained offence for most of the night, but there were a few flashes of strong forechecking and solid offensive zone work from Robertson, Knies, and Bobby McMann. Without one of those three on the ice, the Leafs were stuck playing without the puck more often than not, relying on both Stolarz and Hildeby to keep the game within reach.

Matthew Knies played his typical straight-line, heavy style of game and caused problems for Senators defenders with his strength and stick work along the walls. He had one of the Leafs’ better scoring chances on the night, driving through the middle of the ice while shorthanded, but was just unable to get the shot off with Claude Giroux hounding him from behind.

Robertson looked like a player with something to prove and seemed to command control when he was on the ice, carrying the puck up ice and battling hard for contested pucks down low in the offensive zone. Robertson may or may not be fighting for a roster spot, but he is certainly fighting for a role in Berube’s lineup, and he showed some utility by being a primary option on the penalty kill on Tuesday night, albeit for a stripped-down roster.

One of the players jockeying for ice time with Robertson is Bobby McMann, and he had a strong first outing of the preseason as well. He was physical on the forecheck, he used his speed to push back the Senators’ defenders in transition consistently, and he took the puck hard to the net when the opportunity presented itself. It isn’t hard to imagine McMann becoming a favourite of his new coach in short order with that style of play.

On the defensive end, Marshall Rifai had a quietly solid outing, and Philippe Myers made a number of strong plays on both sides of the puck. Both players could be depth options for the big club this season, and they didn’t hurt their chances playing under the watchful eyes of head coach Craig Berube for the first time.

Ultimately, preseason wins and losses are mostly irrelevant, with coaches more focused on the process than the results. On a night when the Leafs were overmatched and outgunned, Berube and his staff can take solace in the fact that both of their goaltenders played well and that, for the most part, the players who are supposed to be NHLers looked like NHLers.

The Leafs will be back in action when they welcome the visiting Montreal Canadiens to the Scotiabank Arena for an exhibition tilt on Thursday night.