The news just goes from bad to worse for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Not only did they lose their third in a row to start the season (0-2-1), now they've lost rookie winger Viktor Stalberg to a suspected concussion.

Rookie goalie Jonas Gustavsson was okay, but not great, in his first start at the Air Canada Centre, allowing two goals on 28 shots in the 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

Stalberg left after the first period, said to be woozy, after taking a hard hit from Sens defenceman Anton Volchenkov.

Stalberg had been one of the bright spots in an otherwise dismal start to the season. The speedy winger -- a sixth-round pick in 2006 -- won a spot on the club's first line, a surprise out of training camp. He got an assist in his first game.

But the Air Canada Centre hasn't been kind to the Leafs since the lockout, and their losing ways at home continued.

The Senators were up 2-0 to start the third, and the Leafs didn't even look interested in trying to penetrate the Ottawa zone to start the final frame. The crowd let boos rain down, and Alexei Ponikarovsky responded with a single-man rush, forcing Ottawa to take a penalty to stop him.

Then Matt Stajan scored — his third goal in three games — to give the Leafs some life.

At 5:36, Stajan one-timed a shot past Senators netminder Pascal Leclaire, a power-play goal on a cross-ice pass.

The Battle of Ontario — a moribund shadow of its former self — was back on for a few mintues.

Mike Komisarek thought he tied it a few minutes later, but his slapshot rebounded off both posts and back out.

Gustavsson held his ground, keeping the Leafs in the game, when Ottawa found its wheels halfway through the third. Two stops in particular stood out, with Gustavsson holding his ground and giving Ottawa shooters no room to shoot.

There wasn't much by way of good news for Leaf Nation through two periods, although you could say not surrendering a goal in the first period was as good as it got. Gustavsson stopped all eight Ottawa shots, and seemed confident in doing so.

Perhaps part of the reason the Leafs didn't get scored upon in the first period is the fact they didn't give up a power-play opportunity.

All that changed in the second period as the Leafs surrendered the first goal of the season for the third time in three games when Shean Donovan scored in a goal-mouth scramble.

Garnet Exelby made a hit at the Leaf blue line but failed to corral the puck and gave up a 2-on-1 that seconds later ended up behind Gustavsson. Donovan batted the puck from mid-air, and referee Wes McCauley called it a good goal. It went to video review, but was not overturned.

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Shortly after, Luke Schenn high-sticked Milan Michalek on a breakaway, and got called for a double minor. But the referees awarded a penalty shot and a single minor. Michalek left the game, and Daniel Alfredsson took the shot, easily beating Gustavsson for a 2-0 lead.

The Leafs were outshot 13-5 in the second period.

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