4 tips from Leafs-Sabres: Tavares ends excellent game with OT winner, McCabe sets the tone

Nick Robertson notched his first goal of the season, Dakota Joshua scored for the second game in a row, while Matias Maccelli also scored his second goal of the season in the winning try. Tage Thompson scored twice for the Sabres, while Bowen Byram cleanly beat Cayden Primeau through a screen in the second period.

Primeau made 23 saves on 26 shots.

Here are four takeaways from the Maple Leafs’ 4-3 win over the Sabres:

John Tavares ends an excellent match, on the verge of his 500th goal

The 35-year-old has been a prodigy since his teens and is now on the cusp of his 500th career goal, which will surely be celebrated by the entire Maple Leafs organization.

“Yeah, he definitely made me a much better professional,” Jake McCabe said of Tavares after the game. “Just being with him, watching him, watching him go through his process. It’s pretty impressive. We talk about it all the time, but man, Mr. Steady every year. And to have that in your room as a leader is super crucial to our team and we certainly don’t take it for granted.”

Tavares remains a consistent offensive threat for the Maple Leafs, using his size and hockey intelligence to get pucks deep into the offensive zone all night. While many critics believe Tavares has lost a step, that’s simply not true in person and he slid through the offensive zone before handing the puck to Matias Maccelli for a tap-in in the second period. He generated a game-high five shots in all situations, drew a penalty, won 9 of 15 faceoffs and the Maple Leafs controlled 95 percent of expected goals via Natural Stat Trick. It was an excellent performance that helped the Maple Leafs earn a crucial victory.

Nick Robertson scores his first goal of the season after being moved to the first line

After the game, Robertson told reporters that he knew he would be in the front row about 10 minutes before the game started.

“Robbie did a good job. I thought he added energy to that line with his speed and ended up scoring a big goal for us, which is great,” Berube said after the match.

“I mean, you guys know this isn’t a situation that’s foreign to me,” Robertson said after the game. “I just had to come in and obviously we were playing back-to-back. So I kind of have the energy, kind of have an advantage and want to come to the games, play with a lot of energy.”

Robertson finished his checks and played with total aggression all Saturday. Berube highlighted Robertson’s scoring touch early in training camp, and he could remain in the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Calgary Flames, with the goal of continuing to build confidence and bury opportunities at the net front.

Jake McCabe sets the tone with a crushing hit on Bowen Byram, battling Alex Tuch

Maple Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe changed the momentum of the game, almost overnight. McCabe delivered a crushing open-ice hit on Sabers defenseman Bowen Byram. Sabers forward Alex Tuch took particular offense, fighting McCabe, then McCabe landed a huge punch as Tuch crashed to the ice.

It changed the meaning of the match, as Tuch was somehow given seventeen penalty minutes for standing up for Byram. For a Maple Leafs team that has been praised for a lack of toughness, this is exactly what they needed.

“Yeah, I think it was a little bit lacking here the first while,” McCabe said after the game.

“I’m certainly guilty of it too, in the first, you know, five, six games. You know, I think sometimes at the beginning of the year you dip your toe in the water instead of jumping right in. I’ve made it a mission here the last few nights to bring that side of my game out a little bit more because I’m definitely playing better and I know my teammates are benefiting from it as well. So just trying to convey that emotion and energy, competitiveness and, you know, to know something that we need.”

Clearly, McCabe’s physicality and unwillingness to back down made a strong impression on his teammates.

“Yes, he brings a lot of emotion and certainly physicality, no doubt about it,” Tavares said of McCabe after the game. “I mean, he’s got a great all-around game, but you know, whether it’s blocking shots, taking the body, he puts it all on the line. You know, he’s a player with heart and soul, he brought a lot of emotions with him the last few days and I definitely saw that here tonight.”

“Oh, it’s huge,” Robertson said of McCabe’s fight with Tuch. “I mean, we need that. We need the energy. We need that, you know, courage and, you know, he had a big hit and a good fight and he had a great game.”

McCabe received the team belt, which was awarded to the team’s best or most important player in a winning effort. It was about more than just fighting, as McCabe provided a primary assist on Dakota Joshua’s goal in the third period and was active on offense all night.

Cayden Primeau gets 2nd win with Maple Leafs

“Yes, I was happy for him and because he hadn’t played for a while, you know, but he worked hard in training,” Berube said of Primeau after the match. “Like I told you, hard-working kid. I thought he did a good job there.”

“He’s great,” Tavares said of Primeau after the game. “I think he just came in and worked every day and just tried to be as ready as possible for his opportunity and, you know, gave us a chance to win tonight, make some big saves and, you know, just not really shaken. I think there’s something going in there or something that might not go his way or might not go our way. He’s just kind of preparing for that next opportunity, that next shot, and really being ready for that, so I think the work great there.”