Sabres seek to extend point streak against Leafs
Five straight games without a regulation loss has team moving up
Game 35
Buffalo Sabres (16-11-7) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (16-14-4)
Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | Scotiabank Arena | Toronto, Ontario
TV: MSG
Radio: WGR 550
SB Nation Leafs Blog: Pension Plan Puppets
Know Your Opponent
Toronto Maple Leafs
Record: (16-14-4) | 36 PTS
Last 10: 6-4-0
Division Ranking: 4th in Atlantic Division
Conference Ranking: 10th in Eastern Conference
PP: 11th (20.6%)
PK: 26th (76.7%)
What to Watch
1. Stay afloat
The Sabres are up three points in the standings on the Maple Leafs, and cannot afford to lose this key matchup to their longtime rivals. It’s not going to be an easy task to take two on the road from the Leafs, who have garnered 60 percent - 18 of 30 - of their possible standing points on home ice. On the road, Buffalo has had the potential to earn 36 points, and have taken only 16. Since these two teams split a November series, Buffalo has been playing markedly better. They’ll need to continue to do so tonight.
2. Uneven strength
Special teams could be a determining factor in this evening’s matchup. There are few teams in the league that can say they are worse than Toronto in both power play and penalty kill success, but Buffalo is one of them. These two terrible special teams squads will face off in what may be an astonishingly mediocre show of uneven strength prowess, and it could happen fairly frequently in the game, with both teams in the bottom half of the league in penalties taken.
3. Calling all mos
Momentum exists in physics, but in sports, it’s more of an intangible thing. Still, it’s hard to argue that objects in motion stay in motion, even if that object is a team and the motion is up the standings. With points in each of the last five games, and nine of the last 10, it’s hard to argue that momentum doesn’t exist. Credit to head coach Ralph Kruger, who has done something that no coach has been able to do in far, far too long - pull the team out of a losing streak and right the ship. If he can keep the team moving in the right direction, it seems as though some postseason recognition could be in order...
Projected Lineup
Buffalo Sabres
Forwards
Victor Olofsson - Jack Eichel - Sam Reinhart
Jimmy Vesey - Marcus Johansson - Rasmus Asplund
Jeff Skinner - Evan Rodrigues -
Zemgus Girgensons - Johan Larsson - Kyle Okposo
Defense
Brandon Montour - Rasmus Ristolainen
Henri Jokiharju - Rasmus Dahlin
Starting Goaltender: Linus Ullmark (unconfirmed)
Toronto Maple Leafs
Forwards
Zach Hyman-John Tavares-Mitch Marner
Kasperi Kapanen-Auston Matthews-William Nylander
Pierre Engvall-Alexander Kerfoot-Ilya Mikheyev
Nic Petan-Jason Spezza-Pontus Aberg
Defense
Morgan Rielly-Tyson Barrie
Jake Muzzin-Justin Holl
Travis Dermott-Codi Ceci
Starting Goaltender: Frederik Andersen