Knee Jerk Reaction: Maple Leafs depth shows in much-needed win against Sabres

John Tavares was the hero after the Maple Leafs survived some risky chances in overtime after the opening game. He grabbed the puck on a breakaway and beat Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen cleanly to get the Maple Leafs back in the win column for the first time since their 2-1 win over the New York Rangers on October 16.

While Tavares was the hero tonight, the Leafs won’t win this game without their depth players doing their best like they did. It was a necessary contribution after a very top-heavy start to the season for the Maple Leafs offense. Nick Robertson continued his trend of scoring a goal immediately after a scratch, opening the scoring off a smooth feed from prospect Easton Cowan, who picked up his second career assist on the play.

Matias Maccelli scored his second goal of the season to give the Leafs a lead in the second period after an impressive drive into the net from John Tavares, leaving Maccelli with a wide open net to complete the tap. As the Sabers came back and took a 3-2 lead at one point, Dakota Joshua scored his second goal in as many games to tie the score at 3, leading to the overtime winner.

Cayden Primeau has been solid in net for the Maple Leafs and it could be his last start for a while as Joseph Woll is back with the team after missing the first few weeks of the season due to an undisclosed issue. While Primeau’s .885 save percentage won’t look great on paper, he made crucial saves for the Leafs when the team needed them most, and it paid off in the end.

The Maple Leafs will look to keep the spirits high on Tuesday night when they host the Calgary Flames, with a 6pm start thanks to the Toronto Blue Jays’ continued quest for a World Series.

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