TORONTO — With more than five minutes left in the game, Maple Leafs fans were already heading for the exits in Toronto. The Buffalo Sabres had opened up a 6-3 lead and Scotiabank Arena was almost completely silent. A group of Sabres fans in the upper level began chanting, “Let’s go, Buffalo!” Then they counted the Sabres goals before shouting, “We want seven!” Later they broke into a chorus of the Bills shout song.
By the time Rasmus Dahlin’s empty-net goal hit the back of the net to complete his hat trick and put the finishing touch on Buffalo’s 7-4 lead, there weren’t enough Leafs fans left in the building to boo.
“This is just one of those buildings that you get up for a little extra,” said Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who had three points. “To silence them by winning the game, it feels good for sure.”
This scene would have been unbelievable this time a year ago — or even a few months ago. While the Sabres have toiled away at the bottom of the standings for the last decade-plus, the Leafs have been a mainstay in the top three of the Atlantic Division since the 2017-18 season. Toronto won the division last season and was a game away from advancing to the Eastern Conference finals. But on Tuesday night, the Sabres handed the Leafs a loss that might be the knockout punch for their season.
“We’ve been confident for a while now and I think coming in here, we knew we were going to win if we played our game and limited their chances,” Thompson said. “I thought we did that. I thought we frustrated them pretty early on. They score and get a couple and there’s no panic in our bench and locker room between periods. There’s a nice composure in our group right now.”
Buffalo is now 19-3-1 in its last 23 games. With 65 points, the Sabres have a top-three spot in the Atlantic Division and a six-point lead on the top team below the wild-card line. How big was this game? According to Money Puck’s playoff predictor, the Sabres’ playoff odds would have dropped from 62 percent to 55 percent with a regulation loss. Instead, those odds went up to 67 percent. That’s a significant swing for a January game, and they may have pushed the Leafs into being a deadline seller in the process.
And as bizarre as all of that might have sounded a year ago, it felt normal for the Sabres given the way that they’ve played for the last month and a half. Asked if this was a statement game, Dahlin hesitated.
“Not really,” he said. “We’ve been playing solid hockey for a while now and we just kind of keep doing it. We’re a really good team.”
Dahlin’s night was sensational even by his standards. It was his first career hat trick and he added two assists for a five-point game. He’s up to 42 points in 48 games this season and is finding his best form lately.
This game came one day after his fiancee, Carolina Matovac, announced on Instagram that yesterday was the scheduled due date for the couple’s first child. They lost that child over the summer when Carolina experienced heart failure that required a heart transplant. She’s still recovering from that heart transplant in Sweden. Dahlin has twice returned home and missed games to be with her. But the Sabres captain has played in 48 games this season while dealing with an unimaginable situation away from the rink.
“The fact that he’s here playing hockey competing for us means the world to us,” Tage Thompson said. “I think that just speaks to his character, how much he loves the team, how much he wants to win. He’s not just playing. He’s leading by example. I can’t say enough good things about him and the mental strength you have to have to be able to do what he’s doing is pretty impressive.”
Dahlin said he’s going to need some time before he can fully describe what this year has been like. But it’s clear moments like Tuesday night have offered a brief escape.
“I’m just happy I can be with this team, my brothers,” Dahlin said. “They help me every day. I could not have done this without them, that’s for sure.”
And nights like Tuesday are even better when the Sabres are winning. Since Dahlin got to Buffalo in 2018, he hasn’t been on a team as good as this one this late in the season.
“It’s new, but I love it,” Dahlin said. “That’s why I play hockey for competitive games, playing big nights like this. It’s what you live for.”
Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen left the game in the third period after an attempt to save Auston Matthews’ goal. (John E. Sokolowski / Imagn Images)
Quick hits
1. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury. He appeared to injure his left leg when he lunged to try to make a save on Auston Matthews’ goal. Colten Ellis came into the game in relief and stopped 16 of the 18 shots he faced.
Luukkonen was 7-2-1 in his last 10 starts coming into this game. He’d formed a solid tandem with Alex Lyon. But now the Sabres may need to lean on Lyon a bit more heavily. Having three goalies is coming in handy lately with all of the injuries these three have had.
Luukkonen is also scheduled to go to the Olympics with Team Finland, so this injury could affect his availability for that tournament. Ruff said he’ll be evaluated by the doctors when the team gets back to Buffalo and they will know more then.
2. Samuelsson had another huge night for the Sabres. He finished the game with three hits, including a few big ones, and also racked up three assists. And he once again finished with more than 20 minutes of ice time. He’s putting together a career year and has been one of the Sabres’ most valuable players this season.
3. The Sabres had a 9-2 advantage in scoring chances during the five-on-five minutes Konsta Helenius, Noah Ostlund and Josh Doan played in this game. The depth Helenius and Ostlund have given the forward group is tough to overstate. They’ve been impactful in big games despite their lack of experience. That’s giving Ruff a lot of lineup options.
4. Jordan Greenway missed this game, and Ruff said he is going to need to get another opinion on the sports hernia injury that has already required multiple surgeries dating to last season. The Sabres tried to put him on a load management plan, but Ruff said he hasn’t responded how they hoped.
5. In other injury news, Ruff said this week there’s a chance Josh Norris could be shut down until after the Olympic break. Norris has missed seven games since injuring his ribs against the Flyers, and the Sabres are going to weigh whether it’s best to give him the extra time over the break to get back to 100 percent.