from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

So, are the Senators looking forward to the latest installment of the Battle of Ontario?

“What Battle of Ontario?” asked winger Chris Neil on Friday.

No, the rivalry isn’t dead, but it’s certainly on life support with no playoff series between the two teams since 2004 and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the middle of a massive rebuild that included sending captain Dion Phaneuf to the Senators in a nine-player deal last month.

“We’ve got more of a battle against Montreal,” said Neil. “Obviously the games are big when we go against (Toronto) but our rivalry, playing Montreal the last couple of years in the playoffs, has evolved into more of a battle than the Battle of Ontario.”

Asked if it’s no longer alive, Neil added: “I don’t think so. It will eventually come back. The teams are still close. I think it’s just the way the cards have unfolded the past couple of years for Toronto.

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