Scrivens posts first shutout for Maple Leafs

TORONTO -- Ben Scrivens has plenty on his shoulders as he carries the Maple Leafs goaltending duties while James Reimer is out with a knee injury.

Scrivens held up quite well on Saturday night, stopping 34 shots for his first career shutout in his 19th NHL game as the Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-0 before a crowd of 19,517 at Air Canada Centre.

Scrivens was quick to credit the players in front of him.

"You can ask any goalie and they will tell you a shutout is a team stat," he said. "You don't get it on your own. I'm extremely thankful to the guys for playing hard for me. When they did such a good job of clearing the shooting lane and clearing guys out from in front of the net, it allows you to see the puck and control the puck a lot better."

His play allowed a goal by Frazer McLaren, his first as a Maple Leaf, at 3:14 of the first period to stand up. Tyler Bozak and John-Michael scored in the third period. Liles' first goal of the season went into an empty net to clinch the victory.

"He stood in the net and stood tall. He made some big stops, he was in good position and he battled hard," Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said of Scrivens.

In a game between provincial rivals often referred to as the Battle of Ontario, Senators goaltender Craig Anderson stopped all but two of the 28 shots he faced with Toronto's third goal going into an empty net.

It was the first meeting of the season between the Maple Leafs (9-6-0) and Senators (7-6-2). Each won three of their meetings last season.

The Maple Leafs who nursed their one-goal lead since early in the first period took a 2-0 lead at 8:32 of the third period as Bozak had a shot from the point by Dion Phaneuf deflect off his skate past Anderson. Bozak's fifth goal of the season survived a video review.

"I just went to the net," Bozak said. "I just tried to redirect it with my skate. My stick wasn't really there in time so luckily it went in. It was a lucky goal, but I'll take it.

"We want to go to the net and cycle the puck as much as we can. Craig Anderson is also a heck of a goalie and has played great for them so you need traffic."

It was a tame affair for a rivalry game, but a skirmish broke out behind the Maple Leafs goal after Mika Zibanejad was called for goaltender interference at 13:55 after tripping Scrivens who had just made a save on Kyle Turris. The Leafs put the puck in the Ottawa goal during the power play, but it was ruled that it had gone in after the whistle during a scramble in front of the net.

Daniel Alfredsson hit the post during a Senators power play with about two minutes to play. But Liles scored his first of the season into an empty net at 19:22.

"We played a pretty solid road game," Alfredsson said. "They get the bounces and we can't find ours. Our whole team played a good road game, but their goalie played pretty solid that was the difference probably.

"Today half our power play we did a good job, the other ones we didn't so we didn't get the zone time we wanted. But when we did we moved the puck pretty well and generated some chances, but we've got to be more efficient."

Senators coach Paul MacLean said, "I think our power play created some scoring opportunities. In the first period and the second, I thought we had some real good scoring opportunities and we hit the post in the third."

The second period was livelier than the first. Ottawa had a 19-10 edge in shots and a 2-1 advantage in power-play situations in the period but could not get the tying goal. Scrivens' saves included one on a wrist from the faceoff circle to his left by Derek Grant at 13:07. During their first power play of the period, the Senators put on the pressure and probably came closest when a deflection skittered past the post to the left of Scrivens.

Toronto took the lead 3:14 into the first period on McLaren's goal, a knocking home a 13-footer as he was falling after a shot from the point by Mark Fraser after taking a pass by Jay McClement from the corner.

Toronto had a 7-5 advantage in shots in a close-checking first period.

NOTES: The Maple Leafs honored their 1963 Stanley Cup-winning team before the game. Toronto won the Cup in 1962, '63 and '64 and again in 1967 but not since then. ... The Senators were playing for the first time since defenseman Erik Karlsson was lost for a season when he suffered a lacerated Achilles' tendon Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. ... Other injured Senators included Jared Cowen (hip), Guillaume Latendresse (neck), Milan Michalek (lower body), Peter Regin (upper body) and Jason Spezza (back). ... Colin Greening and Patrick Wiercioch were healthy scratches. ... The Maple Leafs played their second full game without Reimer who suffered a knee injury against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. ... Other Maple Leafs injuries include Joffrey Lupul (arm), Carl Gunnarsson (hip), Mike Brown (shoulder) and Matt Frattin (knee). ... Mike Komisarek and David Steckel were Toronto's scratches. .... The Senators visit the New Jersey Devils on Monday and the Maple Leafs travel to the Florida Panthers.