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TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 29: Kirill Marchenko #86 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Montréal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena on September 29, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Getty Images)
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost a tight disappointing contest on Saturday night 3-2 against the Ottawa Senators. With the loss, the Maple Leafs fall to 1-2-0 in the early portion of the regular season.
Maple Leafs superstar Kirill Marchenko scored his first goal of the season in the loss. Marchenko spoke to reporters postgame on Saturday and touched upon what the goal has meant to him as he looks to gel with his new teammates.
“Oh, it’s an amazing feeling,” Marchenko said of his goal. “And I happy for that so much, but I’d be most happy if we win the game today…unbelievable feeling and how fans support me too.”
Slow Start for the Maple Leafs Offensively
It has been a slow start for the Maple Leafs on the offensive side of the puck as they have scored two goals in each of the team’s three games. The top six has looked to struggle at times, with the Matthews line looking as they are beginning to connect, but has had a strong presence in the lineup; however, the second line has looked anything but that; they have struggled mightily and haven’t been to the level many are expecting.
Jim Hiller spoke following the game on Saturday and shared his thoughts on Marchenko and how he has adjusted to the Maple Leafs.
“He’s had one practice with us now because we had that one yesterday. I think that just helped him feel comfortable. It’s a whirlwind when you come in and join the team; never mind when you’re going boom, boom, back-to-back. We had a chance to have a day off, catch his breath, and get a little bit organized. It was a really good practice yesterday.”
“But again, having said all that, we really liked how he played the first two games. Lots of chances, came close, and didn’t strike, but that’ll happen here soon.” Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller said on Saturday.
Auston Matthews and William Nylander Comment on Toronto’s Struggles
Auston Matthews has been one of the Maple Leafs’ stars who have struggled to find the back of the net, scoring his first goal of the season against the Senators. Many are expecting Matthews to take the next step and return to his old self.
“I think we can do a better job of sustaining the o-zone,” Matthews said. “But I thought we worked really hard and were able to turn pucks over and try to go the other way, and just heavy on pucks. That’s the name of the game. The ice out there can be tough sometimes, especially toward the end of the period, and you’ve got to keep it a little bit simpler, you know, the right play is sometimes just getting it down low and trying to get on top of their D and outwork the opponent.”
Nylander added to this, giving credit to Linus Ullmark for his strong play leading the Senators to their victory.
“I mean, they pushed back, but I think, I mean, we had a lot of grade A chances. Ullmark played very well, so you’ve got to give it to him there as well, because if he didn’t play that well, we might have been up by a couple of goals in the first and second.”
The Maple Leafs are back in action on Tuesday as they host the Nashville Predators.
Maple Leafs Star Makes Shocking Comments After Saturday’s Loss