The Leafs and Senators head into the second edition of the 2013 Battle Ontario tied at 22 points, two behind the surprising Habs for both the division and Conference leads.
A week ago today, the Leafs shut out Ottawa 3-0, with the Senators looking primed for a downturn in the wake of the Karlsson injury. Not the case, at least not so far. The Senators rattled off three wins in a row this week, two in shootouts, and both teams will enter the second chapter of their season series playing some good hockey. Paul McLean’s Senators look to have the strength in system, the goaltending and enough depth to hang around like a bad smell in the playoff race in spite of the absence of Spezza and Karlsson.
Last Saturday, the Leafs came out on the right end of an ugly one against the Sens. Frazer McLaren had one bounce off of him and in, same goes for Bozak, and John Michael Liles picked up an empty netter in the 3-0 win. What the Leafs will look to replicate is the defensive effort they put out in front of Scrivens, as Big Ben mostly dealt with perimeter shots and didn’t have to make too many second saves.
The Senators will be without starter Craig Anderson due to an ankle injury sustained in Thursday’s win over the Rangers. Like the Leafs with Scrivens, however, the Senators have been getting good goaltending from Ben Bishop when called upon. He stopped 66 of 68 shots in his last two starts.
The Leafs’ lineup is unlikely to see a change from Thursday’s winning combination.
It should be a supercharged atmosphere, with the usual throngs of Leafs fans invading Kanata, myself included, only spurred on by feeble attempts to prevent the Blue and White sea from flowing into the Scotiabank.
Don’t fail me tonight, Leafs.
Sweet and Fiery Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
– 1 tsp garlic salt
– 1/2 tsp ground ginger
– 1 lb pork tenderloin
– 1/4 cup Sweet Red Chili Sauce (I used Thai Kitchen)
– 1 tbsp honey
– 1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce (or more to taste)
Directions
– Preheat oven to 375°. Mix garlic salt and ginger in small bowl. Rub evenly over pork Place pork on rack in foil-lined roasting pan.
– Roast pork in preheated oven 40 to 45 minutes or until desired pork is cooked to your liking. (New pork guidelines allow pork to cook to 145°, if you prefer it cooked well, cook it until the internal temp reads is 160° with a meat thermometer)
– Mix chili sauce, honey and sriracha in small bowl and over pork during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Slice pork and serve with pan juices
Mango Salsa
Ingredients
– 1 large ripe mango, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
– 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
– 1 small clove garlic, minced
– 1 tbsp minced jalepeño, seeds removed and diced
– 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate salsa until ready to serve. Makes 1 cup.
