The Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action tonight against their Atlantic Division opponent, the Buffalo Sabres. For many fans of both teams, they know this as a trip down the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW).
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Tonight’s game is going to be an interesting test for the Maple Leafs. They are coming off a game against the New Jersey Devils where they faced a ton of criticism. Both among the fan base and in the locker room. They were flat and looked disinterested, which will need to change because winning games early in the season is important. Especially against the opponents they’ve faced. They haven’t faced many playoff contenders from last season, but still don’t have a great record to show for it. So tonight, they start a back-to-back, home-and-home series against the Sabres, where they’ll need to come out with at least three points to change the perception of the team.
Now on to the recent news of the team. First up, the Maple Leafs have placed Joseph Woll on long-term injury reserve (LTIR). He is still away from the team due to a leave of absence, and with no timeline set for his return, the team has opted to clear his cap space, which allows them to use it if they want. The team has also placed Chris Tanev on injured reserve (IR). He left the game on Tuesday against the Devils after his head made contact with Dawson Mercer’s head. He went down in pain and now has been ruled out with an upper-body injury.
As for Laughton, head coach Craig Berube said, “He’s trending really well… hopefully he’s back on the ice with us [full team] shortly.” The expectation is that he is going to return to the ice and will be back with the team soon. The Maple Leafs are also going to be without Morgan Rielly tonight, who is dealing with a minor injury. However, he shouldn’t be out of the lineup long, possibly returning as early as tomorrow night.
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Easton Cowan, who Berube said needed a “reset,” is returning to the lineup tonight, and Nicholas Robertson will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season. The Maple Leafs will dress Philippe Myers and recent call-up Dakota Mermis in the place of the injured Rielly and Tanev. That puts them down to just four of their regular six defensemen.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Season Record: 3-3-1
Top Scorers:
Goalie Stats:
Buffalo Sabres
Season Record: 3-4-0
Goalie Stats:
(Subject to change before puck drop)
Maple Leafs Projected Lineup
Bobby McMann — Auston Matthews — William Nylander
Matthew Knies — John Tavares — Matias Maccelli
Dakota Joshua — Nicolas Roy — Easton Cowan
Steven Lorentz — Max Domi — Calle Jarnkrok
Jake McCabe — Brandon Carlo
Simon Benoit — Philippe Myers
Dakota Mermis — Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Anthony Stolarz
Cayden Primeau
Scratched: Nicholas Robertson, Sammy Blais, Joseph Woll
Injured: Morgan Rielly (undisclosed); Scott Laughton (lower body)
Sabres Projected Lineup
Zach Benson — Jiri Kulich — Tage Thompson
Josh Doan — Ryan McLeod — Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker — Noah Ostlund — Jack Quinn
Peyton Krebs — Tyson Kozak — Beck Malenstyn
Bowen Byram — Rasmus Dahlin
Owen Power — Conor Timmins
Mattias Samuelsson — Zach Metsa
Alex Lyon
Colten Ellis
Scratched: Mason Geertsen
Injured: Jacob Bryson (concussion protocol), Justin Danforth (lower body), Josh Norris (upper body), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body), Michael Kesselring (undisclosed), Jordan Greenway (middle body)
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm, at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The game can be watched on SN, TVAS.
As always, in my game day previews, I will give my prediction for the score of tonight’s game. I have the Maple Leafs beating the Sabres 3-2 in overtime, with Nylander finally scoring on a goalie and his goal coming in OT to win the game.
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