[Must Watch] Leafs' Michael Pezzetta slams Sens' Ridly Greig against boards in heated Battle of Ontario preseason scrum

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The Battle of Ontario erupted on Sunday as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators faced off in a gritty preseason opener. Despite being an exhibition game, both teams delivered a physically intense matchup.

In the second period, chaos erupted when Leafs winger Michael Pezzetta slammed Senators forward Ridly Greig into the boards, earning a two-minute minor penalty for roughing.

Meanwhile, Greig received a two-minute minor penalty for slashing Pezzetta. In the ensuing scrum, Leafs defenseman Marshall Rifai charged at Greig in retaliation, sparking a full-on fight on the ice.

Watch the video here:

Marshall Rifai drops gloves against Zach MacEwen in the Battle of Ontario preseason game

In the second period of the Battle of Ontario preseason game, tempers flared between Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach MacEwen and Ottawa Senators defenseman Marshall Rifai.

MacEwen landed a flurry of punches early in the fight, but Rifai fought back and was able to bring his opponent down to the ice.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, meanwhile, secured a 4-3 victory in their preseason opener against the Ottawa Senators. The Leafs started strong with Calle Järnkrok scoring just 47 seconds into the first period.

Nicholas Robertson doubled the lead with a slap shot at 12:47. William Villeneuve then made it 3-0 for the Leafs with a power-play goal before the second period. Ridly Greig cut the deficit to 3-1 for the Senators at 1:45 of the second period. Matthew Barbolini restored Toronto’s three-goal lead, making it 4-1.

Artem Knyazev pulled Ottawa within 4-2 before the third period. Olle Lycksell’s power-play goal in the final period set the final score at 4-3. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators will face off again on Tuesday for the second Battle of Ontario in the preseason at Scotiabank Arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET.

Also Read: Toronto Maple Leafs make six surprising roster cuts ahead of 2025-26 NHL season

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About the author

Abhishek Dilta

Abhishek is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda with over 2 years of sports reporting experience and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delhi. He became a fan of ice hockey after watching NHL fight videos on YouTube, which led to him professionally writing about the sport and his continued interest in all things hockey.

A fan of the Boston Bruins, Abhishek considers their incredible comeback win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 playoffs as the most iconic moment in the NHL. His admiration for the six-time Stanley Cup winners also comes from the team’s storied history, distinctive black and gold uniform and their success in the sport. His all-time favorite NHL players are Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, for their ability to perform at the highest level consistently.

Abhishek ensures his reporting is fair and balanced by being well-researched in his details, which he expects to be relevant, up-to-date and in line with ethical standards. His specialties are doing detailed match analysis and covering fan reactions.

Abhishek enjoys music, traveling and going on walks with his three German Shepherds in his free time, along with learning about horticulture.

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