Landon Sim made his mark early for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night, and the Senators spent the rest of the evening trying to answer.
The Leafs youngster dropped the gloves with Ottawa defenseman Matthew Andonovski in the first period.
It didn't last long. Andonovski went down at center ice, and that set the tone for everything that followed.
Toronto won the game 6-1, but the score was almost the least interesting part of this split-squad night at Scotiabank Arena.
Sportsnet posted the clip with a fist emoji and a reminder that the Battle of Ontario doesn't take September off.
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The Senators never really cooled off. Things boiled over again in the third period, and the penalty minutes started stacking up fast.
Hayden Hodgson's game misconduct caps a nasty Battle of Ontario
Hayden Hodgson was at the center of it. The Ottawa forward piled up 19 penalty minutes and got tossed with a game misconduct.
Tyler Kleven wasn't far behind. The Senators defenseman took 10 penalty minutes of his own late in the game.
Credit the officials there. They regained control before the late scrums turned into a full-scale brawl.
The Senators lost their composure, and that's the bad look here. Chasing payback while buried on the scoreboard only makes a lopsided night uglier.
It felt like a family reunion where the two cousins who can't stand each other end up at the same table. Somebody always knocks over a glass.
The night wasn't all good for the Leafs either. Nick Paul left in the first period after 4:42 of ice time and never returned.
Jim Hiller will want answers on that one before Toronto opens the regular season September 29 at home against Montreal.
What does it mean for Sim? A first-period statement like that gets noticed by a new coaching staff still sorting out its lineup.
Ottawa gets right back at it at home against Montreal on Saturday.
These teams meet for real on October 3 at Scotiabank Arena. After Wednesday, nobody should expect either side to show up in a forgiving mood.
Did the Senators cross the line with their third-period antics in Toronto?
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