Bernier excels in relief as Toronto edges Sens in shootout in Leafs home opener

TORONTO - Mason Raymond and Tyler Bozak scored shootout goals to give Toronto a 5-4 win over the Ottawa Senators in the Maple Leafs' home opener Saturday night.

Toronto goalie Jonathan Bernier, outstanding in relief of James Reimer, stopped Milan Michalek — whose shot hit the crossbar and bounced out — and Jason Spezza in the shootout.

Raymond, on an nifty turnaround backhand, and Bozak, through Craig Anderson's legs, scored to give Toronto a 2-0 edge in the shootout.

The Leafs (3-0-0) had a 42-second power play to finish overtime after Dave Bolland was hauled down by Jared Cowen as he charged at the Ottawa goal. But Toronto failed to take advantage.

Kyle Turris, Cory Conacher, Cowen and Spezza scored for the Senators (1-0-1), who got another big night in goal from Anderson.

Raymond, Nazem Kadri, Joffrey Lupul and James van Riemsdyk scored for Toronto, which combined a fluid offence with a leaky defence.

Trailing 4-3 entering a wide-open third period, Toronto tied it up after a speeding Phil Kessel found van Riemsdyk with a laser-like pass at the side of the crease at 2:52. The big winger tucked it in for his second of the season.

Both teams had chances to win late in regulation, with Toronto either unable to beat Anderson or find the target.

Toronto outshot Ottawa 42-36 through overtime.

The Leafs went 2-for-6 on the power play while Ottawa was 0-for-1.

The Senators got good value from their second line of Turris, Conacher and ex-Leaf Clarke MacArthur on the night.

Randy Carlyle's carefully considered goalie rotation strategy went by the boards midway through the second period when Bernier replaced Reimer with the Leafs down 4-2 after giving up two goals in 15 seconds.

Reimer had gotten the nod over Bernier by virtue of his stellar career record against the Senators: 8-1-1 with three shutouts, a 1.69 goals-against average and .949 save percentage. Bernier, who had never faced Ottawa before, looked rock-solid after coming in.

The crowd of 19,552 was chanting Bernier in the third after Sens forward Bobby Ryan toppled over the net from behind and landed on top of him.

Reimer, in his defence, got little help from the skaters in front of him.

It was also a tough regular-season debut night for Leafs rookie Morgan Rielly, who along with defensive partner Cody Franson, was on the ice for the Senators' first three goals

For the 19-year-old Rielly, it was a bumpy, high-profile beginning — under the Hockey Night in Canada spotlight after being a healthy scratch the first two games.

The 48th Highlanders Pipe and Drum Band kicked off the night, a Maple Leaf tradition that is old-school as they come. The rest of the opening ceremonies for the franchise's 96th home opener was decidedly more modern with fans wielding free glo-sticks and Leafs players skating onto the ice to pounding music through a giant Maple Leaf flashing their names.

Outside the Air Canada Centre, fans watched on a big screen from Maple Leaf Square in a scene reminiscent of the team's playoff run against Boston last season.

The game was tied 2-2 after 20 minutes, following a loose Leafs' defensive performance that ended with Carlyle looking up at the clock and clenching his arms in front of him like he had a bad stomach ache.

Reimer had to be sharp from the get-go, using his glove to snare a Zack Smith shot from the slot. He then stopped Ryan twice.

The Leafs went ahead on their third shot as Troy Bodie outhustled Cowen behind the Ottawa net and dug the puck out to Dave Bolland who twisted his body around to shovel it on to Raymond for a one-timer at 4:21 — his second goal of the season.

Ottawa responded when Cowen, on a rush, found Turris through a hole in the Leafs defence and the Sens centre jammed it in at 7:33. Rielly seemed caught in no-man's land on the play.

Toronto fell behind 2-1 on a dreadful defensive sequence when Franson was bodied off the puck in front, allowing two Senators to have a go at stuffing it past Reimer. Conacher managed it at 10:27.

Reimer deserved better.

Raymond found Kadri alone at the side of the net one second after a five-on-three advantage expired for a power-play equalizer at 17:33.

Rielly got early power-play time in the second, firing two shots on net during his shift. But he and Franson victimized again on the Sens' third goal, with Rielly falling over Reimer. That gave Cowen virtually an empty net to score into at 10:41.

Spezza fired a low shot in 15 seconds later after another loose wobbly Leafs defensive moment, paving the way for Reimer's early exit. It was Spezza's first score as Ottawa's captain.

Toronto cut the lead to 4-3 on a slick wrist shot by Lupul on the power play at 19:43.

The Senators were playing their second game in as many nights, having spoiled the Buffalo Sabres' home opener with a 1-0 win. The start of the schedule has not been kind to Ottawa, which plays its first six games away from home and had to wait until Friday to get going.

Supersized Toronto forward Jamie Devane, all six-foot-five and 217 pound of him, replaced Carter Ashton, who has been playing with a full cage since breaking his nose in a fight in Montreal.

Toronto's other changes were enforced with Rielly and winger Spencer Abbott coming in for the injured Mark Fraser (knee) and Nikolai Kulemin (ankle), respectively.

The Leafs were also without suspended winger David Clarkson.

NOTES — Toronto won four of the five instalments of the Battle of Ontario last season, shutting out the Senators twice and outscoring them 18-8 ... The Leafs came into the game with a 44-33-15-3 record in home openers. That record included losses in five previous home openers against Ottawa although the Toronto Arenas defeated the Ottawa Senators 11-4 in the first home game in Toronto franchise history in December 1917.