Preview: Maple Leafs host the snowed in Sabres

Buffalo Sabres @ Toronto Maple Leafs
07:00 PM at Scotiabank Arena
Watch on: CBC, SNO, SNP, MSG-B

Opponent’s Site: Die By The Blade

The Leafs last game was at home on November 17 against the New Jersey Devils, which Toronto lost by a score of 3-2. The Leafs have a record of 9-5-4 so far.

The Buffalo Sabres last played an away game on November 16 against the Ottawa Senators. The Sabres lost by a score of 4-1, and their current league record is 7-10-0.

Them

The Sabres are second last in the division, only above the Senators by one point, and only three points out of last place in the NHL.

They were hoping to be moving farther up the standings this season, as they're a decade into their rebuild and haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2011 but they can't get past 30 wins.

They have young stars power on the blueline with Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power. They're testing out their hopeful goalies of the future by starting Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in his first NHL start.

A Sabres team on a seven game losing streak, a rookie goalie, and playing for their fans back home stranded in one big snow storm?

Uh-oh.

Lines

Source: Heather Engel via Daily Faceoff

Jeff Skinner - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Jack Quinn - Dylan Cozens - John Jason Peterka
Peyton Krebs - Casey Mittelstadt - Victor Olofsson
Rasmus Asplund - Riley Sheahan - Vinnie Hinostroza

Owen Power - Rasmus Dahlin
Jacob Bryson - Henri Jokiharju
Lawrence Pilut - Ilya Lyubushkin

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Us

The three game win streak ended at the hands of the 11 win streak Devils, despite the Leafs matching their intensity for most of the game.

The Leafs are disappointingly holding a .500 record, being 9-9 (4 OT losses) but with those four extra points they sit second in the Atlantic, one point ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning and either back of the Bruins who are in first.

No changes in the lines tonight.

Lines

Michael Bunting - Auston Matthews - William Nylander
Alex Kerfoot - John Tavares - Mitch Marner
Pierre Engvall - Pontus Holmberg - Calle Järnkrok
Zach Aston-Reese - David Kämpf - Denis Malgin

Morgan Rielly - Jordie Benn
Mark Giordano - Justin Holl
Rasmus Sandin - Timothy Liljegren

Matt Murray

The Game

Toronto vs Buffalo

This is first Leafs/Sabres game of the season, and with an 84-120-18 all time record against Buffalo, I wouldn't say this is a sure thing.

You never know what you'll get vs the Sabres but tonight? Yeah it's a sure thing.

Go Leafs Go!