What happened: The Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs are scheduled to play a pair of split-squad preseason games on Wednesday night. The clubs will face off simultaneously in both Ottawa and Toronto.
Why it matters: The dual exhibitions offer both organizations a chance to evaluate their training camp rosters in live game action. The matchups follow a recent prospects challenge between the two clubs as they prepare for the upcoming campaign. The preseason action provides an early look at a Toronto squad that missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
By the numbers: Toronto looks to rebound from a stretch where the team dropped seven straight games and allowed 4.6 goals per contest. Ottawa enters the preseason having averaged 3.2 goals per game while posting a 4-6 record over its own recent stretch.
What to watch: Both organizations will use the split-squad performances to inform roster decisions as training camp progresses.