The Sabers broke their five-game losing streak against the Maple Leafs, as they hit a preliminary record of .500, won four of the last five games. The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, are experiencing continued issues after dropping their last three games.
Summary of the game
The match started slowly, with both teams feeling like they were in the neutral zone in the opening minutes. Buffalo’s excellent play on the boards was already on display after Alex Tuch maneuvered the wall, feeding Ryan McLeod the puck, who swung it to the positioned Samuelsson in the middle of the slot, tapped the puck for his first goal of the night and put the Sabers on the scoreboard first.
Twenty-three seconds had elapsed when the Maple Leafs deflected a pass to advancing right winger William Nylander, who was in a breakaway opportunity, and fired a goal that slipped past goalkeeper Alex Lyon’s guard to tie the game at 1–1.
Another strong point of Buffalo’s play tonight was generating opportunities from the defensive zone. Zach Metsa tipped the puck to alternate captain Tage Thompson, who slipped it to Zach Benson and crossed the puck to Jiri Kulich, who fired a snap shot to take the lead, 2-1.
The Maple Leafs earned their first power play opportunity after the officials called Rasmus Dahlin for tripping over Nylander. The Sabres, who have shown prowess in penalty killing, managed to thwart Toronto in their first chance at the man advantage, even nearly scoring a shorthanded goal from Peyton Krebs’ shot that hit Anthony Stolarz in the mask.
The Maple Leafs, who have struggled on the power play this season, found new strength after John Tavares advanced the puck to Auston Matthews to score the tying goal, 2-2. Then the Sabers got their chances on the man advantage twice, leaving the Maple Leafs trailing 3-on-5. The diminutive Maple Leafs managed to stifle the Sabres’ chances, blocking shot after shot and using stick checks to derail possessions.
The Maple Leafs continued their dominance by blocking the Sabres’ shots, creating opportunities like Matthew Knies, who skated on a breakaway but was denied by Lyon. They were also more impressive on the boards throughout the match, with 30 hits to Buffalo’s eight, but the Sabers were able to deflect their best shots and counter with their own. Thompson passed the puck to Byram, who handed it back to the moving Thompson, en route to burying a goal to regain the advantage. Then Dahlin looped a pass back to Samuelsson, who scored from the center of the faceoff circle to further turn the tide in the Sabres’ side.
The Maple Leafs responded after Easton Cowan grabbed possession off a block, sneaking in a shot but was stopped. Dakota Joshua grabbed the rebound and scored a goal from close range to give his team the lead. The Sabres’ mental strength was tested as they held onto a one-goal lead with plenty of time for a Maple Leafs comeback. Buffalo was looking for their dagger after firing on all cylinders. Then, in a crucial turn of events, the officials called a penalty for the Sabers when the Maple Leafs had another chance with the man advantage.
Lyon made the most important save of the night after denying Matias Maccelli’s equalizer attempt en route to an assist from Owen Power to a well-rested Tuch, who deftly scored a short-handed goal to put the game away for the Sabers as they rolled to a 5-3 victory.
What’s next?
The Sabers and Maple Leafs will bring it back tomorrow, this time in Toronto. There, the two teams conclude their short two-game series as the Sabers return home against the Columbus Blue Jackets and travel east for a rematch against the Boston Bruins. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs will continue their homestand and also fly south against the Blue Jackets.
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