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Leafs lineup news: Maccelli-Tavares-Nylander form new 1st line, Woll projected to make 3rd consecutive start

Originally posted on TheLeafsnation | By Arun Srinivasan | Last updated Mar 14, 2026 11:55 AM ET

Auston Matthews will miss the remainder of the season with a Grade 3 MCL tear and quad contusion, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are now adjusting to life without their captain.

Toronto resumes its season against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. Matias Maccelli, John Tavares and William Nylander formed the Maple Leafs’ new first line at practice via line rushes from David Alter of The Hockey News.

Max Domi will centre Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan on the second line. Dakota Joshua will re-enter the lineup and join Bo Groulx and Nick Robertson on the third line, while Michael Pezzetta will get his second look of the season, alongside Jacob Quillan and Calle Jarnkrok.

Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll is projected to start Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. Woll is line to make his third consecutive start. The 27-year-old is coming off a 40-save performance in Thursday’s 6-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Woll has posted a .905 save percentage, with a 3.13 goals against average in 30 appearances this season.

Steven Lorentz and Troy Stecher are the Maple Leafs’ projected scratches for the second consecutive game.

It will be an adjustment for the Maple Leafs without Matthews. Anaheim’s Radko Gudas was issued a five-game suspension for kneeing Matthews. Matthews’ agent, Judd Moldaver, ripped into the NHL Department of Player Safety for what he believed to be an overly lenient sanction.

“A dirty play. The league will obviously look at and see what the suspension will be or whatever,” Berube said following Thursday’s game. “We should’ve had four guys in there doing something about it, but it didn’t happen. But I thought they responded in the third. It was a good response there, but we all would’ve liked everybody to get in there right away.”