It’s been an iffy homestand thus far for the Toronto Maple Leafs record-wise, going 2-2-0 against Vegas, Arizona, New York, and Boston. However, for the first time since their embarrassing 9-3 defeat in late December, they will be hosting the Buffalo Sabres, looking to get revenge while snapping a three-game losing skid to them.
Similarly to the Coyotes, the Maple Leafs’ recent record against the Sabres has not been good. Over their last ten meetings, Toronto has a 3-7-0 record, 1-4-0 at home, and has been outscored 48-33 by Buffalo, including losing both games to them earlier in the season.
But it’s not just the Sabres. According to Statmuse.com, the Maple Leafs have a 6-8-2 record against Atlantic division teams this season, and a chunk of those losses have come against Boston (0-1-2), Buffalo (0-2-0), and Ottawa (1-3-0). And with the Sabres tonight and the Bruins tomorrow, completing the back-to-back, picking up wins here is crucial.
However, Toronto could be short-handed when they close out their five-game homestand tonight against the Sabres. According to Sheldon Keefe, David Kampf, who wasn’t on the ice yesterday due to an illness, was present today but is listed as a game-time decision against Buffalo, among others who are fighting the flu bug again this season.
It’s uncertain what the lineup will eventually look like when the puck drops tonight at Scotiabank Arena with the unknown amount of game-time decisions, but it’s safe to suggest Noah Gregor, who has been a healthy scratch for the last three games, will re-enter Toronto’s lineup if his services are needed.
In other Maple Leafs news, defenseman Mark Giordano, who suffered a concussion in Toronto’s 4-2 win over Arizona last Thursday, was on the ice this morning for the first time since the incident. It is unknown when he will be cleared to play, but he is still listed on injured reserve (IR).
Pregame details:
Toronto Maple Leafs’ lineup:
Matthew Knies – Auston Matthews – Mitch Marner
Tyler Bertuzzi – Max Domi – William Nylander
Bobby McMann – John Tavares – Calle Jarnkrok
Noah Gregor – Pontus Holmberg – Ryan Reaves
TJ Brodie – Timothy Liljegren
Morgan Rielly – Ilya Lyubushkin
Simon Benoit – Jake McCabe
Buffalo Sabres’ lineup:
Jordan Greenway – Tage Thompson – Alex Tuch
Jeff Skinner – *** – Kyle Okposo
Zach Benson – Dylan Cozens – JJ Peterka
Zemgus Girgensons – Peyton Krebs – Eric Robinson
Rasmus Dahlin – Henri Jokiharju
Owen Power – Connor Clifton
Ryan Johnson – Jacob Bryson
One lineup note***: Buffalo forward Casey Mittelstadt was traded to the Colorado Avalanche while writing this, so it is unknown who enters the lineup for the 25-year-old. The Sabres have received defenseman Byram in the deal.
Projected goalies:
Ilya Samsonov (TOR) vs Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF)
Ilya Samsonov was the first goalie off the ice this morning, suggesting he is the projected starter for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight after Joseph Woll got the nod against the Boston Bruins on Monday night, aligning Woll to get the start tomorrow night against the Bruins again.
Broadcast:
Sportsnet, 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT
(Stats from hockey-reference.com)
(Projected lineups from dailyfaceoff.com)
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