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OTTAWA -- A provincial rivalry entering its 25th season, The Battle of Ontario will feature, for the first time, an Anderson vs. Andersen goaltending showdown when the NHL season opens Wednesday night at Canadian Tire Centre.Starting for the Ottawa Senators will be Craig Anderson, who faced more shots than any goaltender other than the New York Rangers Henrik Lundqvist in 2016-17 and who, in his first game as a Senator on Feb. 19, 2011, made 47 saves in a 1-0 victory over Toronto at Air Canada Centre.Making his debut for the Maple Leafs will be Frederik Andersen, who was acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks last June and is now being counted on to give Toronto the consistent puck stopping it has lacked for years.Both goalies hope to lead their respective teams back to the playoffs, which have been held without Ottawa for two of the last three years and without Toronto for all but one spring since 2004.Thats my goal, to get back there, Frederik Andersen, who played in 28 playoff games for the Ducks over the last three springs, told the Toronto Sun on Tuesday. From past experience, I know it takes a lot of work. Last year (the Ducks) had a tough start and realized you just dont get there automatically, no matter how good your team is. We have to get that winning culture (in Toronto). Its a good feeling to have when you dont settle for less.Pumping fresh oxygen into Torontos hopes is center Auston Matthews, the No. 1 overall pick in last springs NHL draft. Another highly touted prospect making his debut with the youthful Maple Leafs will be winger Mitch Marner, while coach Mike Babcock begins his second season with the team.I just feel there is a little more structure, a little less confusion and everyone knows what to expect, Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri told the Toronto Sun. There was more of a feeling out process last year with guys coming up and down and having a new staff. Now were moving forward toward that end goal.Making his debut behind the Senators bench will be new coach Guy Boucher, who held a demanding training camp focused on shoring up the defensive.The biggest offseason acquisition for the Senators was center Derick Brassard, who will work regularly between wingers Bobby Ryan and Zack Smith and is expected to bolster an Ottawa power play that ranked 26th last season while operating at a league worst 11.4 percent success rate at home.I hope we have a better power play, said Senators captain and power play quarterback Erik Karlsson. We havent started the year yet but were very optimistic its going to be better. Hopefully we can get off to a good start.Also in his first year on the job is Senators GM Pierre Dorion, who stated on Tuesday that he wont be a patient man.Weve said right from the get-go, we feel were a playoff team, said Dorion. We hope we can surprise people once we get in the playoffs. Were ready to go. Fred Brown Jersey . 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ROME -- At the age of 17, Gianluigi Donnarumma is already considered the heir apparent to Gianluigi Buffon.After only seven Serie A appearances, 18-year-old Manuel Locatelli is drawing comparisons to Andrea Pirlo.MBaye Niang, a relative veteran at 21, is providing the kind of consistency at forward that Mario Balotelli couldnt.AC Milan is fully embracing a youth movement as it endures a third consecutive season out of European competition. In a league where the top clubs have had a tendency to rely on veterans and the odd Brazilian teenager, seeing so many young faces wearing the familiar Rossoneri colors is a novelty.Theres less fear in Italy now, even though some clubs still prefer veterans, Niang said. Weve got the right mix. When you have great players that can win matches by themselves it throws the other players off balance.The Milan side that beat Chievo Verona 3-1 Sunday was the youngest average team of the weekend in Serie A at 24 years, 231 days. Seven of the players were born in the 1990s -- Donnarumma, Locatelli, Niang, Alessio Romagnoli, Suso, Mattia De Sciglio and Gianluca Lapadula.I dont feel like a young player anymore. Im nearly 22 and Ive been a pro since I was 16, Niang, who made his Ligue 1 debut with Caen in 2011, said in an interview with La Repubblica. (De Sciglio and I) have got to be examples for the actual kids, like Donnarumma and Locatelli.Riding a five-match unbeaten streak, Milan is in third place, level on points with second-place Roma.Up next for Milan is a match against five-time defending champion Juventus on Saturday at the San Siro. Its a rematch of last seasons Italian Cup final, which Juventus won 1-0 after extra time.Milan hasnt beaten Juventus since November 2012.It reminds me of Juve from a few years ago, Buffon saaid of Milan, recalling Juves transformation after a 2006 match-fixing scandal that saw the Bianconeri relegated to Serie B.dddddddddddd They just need time and experience to improve.The last time Milan collected 16 or more points over its first eight matches was in 2010-11, when the Rossoneri won their last title. A year after that title, Milan sold top players Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva to Paris Saint-Germain -- part of a mass exodus of veterans instigated by a drop in investments by club president Silvio Berlusconi.The overhaul sparked a downward spiral that has seen Milan fail to finish higher than seventh the past three seasons, including a dismal 10th in 2014-15.Since current Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri was fired by Milan in January 2014, five different coaches have taken charge of the club. Berlusconi is in the process of finalizing the sale of the team to a group of Chinese investors.Unlike Clarence Seedorf, Filippo Inzaghi, Sinisa Mihajlovic and Cristian Brocchi, current coach Vincenzo Montella has been able to restore some pride in the seven-time European champion.Montella has brought back the joy of the game, midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura told the Gazzetta dello Sport of the manager who was known as the Aeroplanino -- the Little Airplane -- as a player for his small stature and trademark goal celebrations, when he spread his arms like wings.It shows in the fact that weve reached this point with more or less the same squad as a year ago, Bonaventura added. Hes improved things on the pitch and hes changing our mentality. Its been a pleasant surprise.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf ' ' '