Another road game against a bitter division rival will amp up the intensity

Buffalo Sabres (29-17-5) at Toronto Maple Leafs (24-19-9)

Puck Drop: 7:00 pm ET | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto ON

TV: MSG-B, ESPN+, TSN4

Radio: WGR 550, Sirius XM (app)

Know Your Opponent

Toronto Maple Leafs

Record: 24-19-9 | 57 PTS

Last Game: 4-1 loss against Colorado Avalanche; 4-4-2 in last ten games

Division Ranking: 7th, Atlantic

PP: 25th, 17.2% (22/128) [Sabres: 21st, 18.8% (28/149)]

PK: 4th, 83.7% (113/135) [Sabres: 6th, 83.6% (117/140)]

What to Watch

1. Don’t Let Up

After the intensity of the last couple of weeks with four games per week, we’re back to a three-game week. The Sabres even got to sleep in their own beds for the last couple of nights between their game at the Isles before they headed up the QEW for tonight’s game. The Sabres have the best record in the NHL since early December, going 18-3-1.

What the Sabres will have to watch out for though is not letting up on that playoffs hockey mentality that they have been playing with. The longstanding division rivalry between the two sides should keep things at a boil, and the fact that the Leafs are on the outside looking in will mean they will be less than amicable hosts tonight.

2. What Now For The Power Play?

The Sabres power play has gone from bad to worse and even the return of Jason Zucker did not fix that. There is the possibility that Josh Norris coming back might help, but given his inconsistent availability, that can’t be the solution. Don’t expect much to change tonight with the Sabres not getting much training time in the last few weeks.

The Leafs and Sabres are about the same in their penalty killing ability, though the Sabres are much worse on the power play when on the road (29th) than the Leafs whose power play is 11th at home.

3. Change The Formula

Buffalo’s recent successes have been built on getting the first goal, and then some more in the first period. That has been followed by a slow second period where they’ve let the other team back into the game before a nailbiter third period where often an empty-netter has been required to wrap up the game, all while being outshot by the opponent.

That strategy might work well occasionally, but tonight they go up against a quality goalie. Joseph Woll has lost four straight games (0-2-2) with 4.12 GAA and .885 SV%, coming after eight games (7-0-1) where he went 2.54 GAA and .914 SV%. 

Projected Lineups

Buffalo Sabres

Forwards

Zach Benson – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker – Ryan McLeod – Jack Quinn
Josh Doan – Noah Ostlund – Konsta Helenius
Jordan Greenway – Peyton Krebs – Beck Malenstyn

Defense

Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram – Owen Power
Zach Metsa – Michael Kesselring

Goaltenders

Alex Lyon, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (projected starter)

Toronto Maple Leafs

Forwards

Bobby McMann – Auston Matthews – Max Domi
Matias Maccelli – John Tavares – Matthew Knies
Easton Cowan – Nicolas Roy – Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz – Scott Laughton – Calle Jarnkrok

Defense

Jake McCabe – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Morgan Rielly – Brandon Carlo
Simon Benoit – Troy Stecher

Goaltenders

Joseph Woll (confirmed starter), Anthony Stolarz