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The Buffalo Sabres came to town looking for their first win in three weeks. they come into the Scotiabank Arena hoping to do so, but only have a .492 winning percentage here.

Overcoming so many numbers against you can be hard, except when you play the Leafs.

Right off the opening face off Chris Tanev gets called for interference, giving the weak Sabres powerplay a chance to get one past Dennis Hildeby early and set the tone.

Which they do when Jack Quinn scores for the first time in 17 games, including a five game stretch of being scratched. Tone set.

1-0 Buffalo after 90 seconds.

Alex Tuch catches a pass at the blueline, and whips a beautiful shot over Hildeby's glove, to make it 2-0.

Alex Tuch makes it 2-0

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T22:21:37.025Z

After three minutes.

Nick Robertson draws a penalty from Ryan McLeod, but the Leafs fail to capitalize on the powerplay.

After half a period, the Leafs are down 2-0 in goals, 7-3 in shots, and look like a team that played last night and travelled home. This isn't an excuse because the Sabres also played last night and had to travel to Toronto.

JJ Peterka slashes Simon Benoit after Benoit drove him into the boards, so another chance for the Leafs to cut the lead.

Peterka was called for slashing

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T22:33:40.345Z

Auston Matthews and William Nylander team up to almost pull off a tip in goal, but it gets redirected just in time.

Matthews' re-direct goes wide Samuelsson got in the way as well

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T22:35:45.433Z

A scary situation as a Sabres shot goes high and hits Mitch Marner in the visor, knocking it into his nose, making it bleed. No penalty as it's an accident but I demand one against Buffalo. Assault with a puck.

Marner got a puck up high luckily he's alright

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T22:40:40.291Z

Morgan Rielly, Max Domi, and Bobby McMann are scrambling around the Sabres net, sending shots on net, catching rebounds, and the persistence pays off as Max Domi scores his first goal of the season (28 games!) from in front of the net.

MAX DOMI 🚨 FINALLY!

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T22:44:51.589Z

2-1 Buffalo after 15 minutes.

The Leafs really picked up their game in the latter half of the first period, pushing harder offensively and limiting more of the Sabres chances. They cut the lead in half, and hopefully continue this in the second period.

After one it's 2-1 Buffalo with the Sabres leading 11-8 in shots.

A new period begins, will the Sabres score in the first 90 seconds again? Let's count down.

40 seconds: Icing by Toronto.

65 seconds: Marner sets up Tavares, Levi saves.

the eventual shot was deflected but this was pretty work from Marner

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T23:13:11.779Z

90 seconds: Sabres get the puck out of their own zone. No goal!

The Sabres ended up not scoring, but they did pin the Leafs in their own zone long enough to have defenders like Phillippe Meyers out for almost three minutes. Tired legs, but they did the job.

Domi stuck with Benson

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T23:16:08.438Z

JJ Peterka grabs a rebound from Levi at the Sabres blueline, gets all the way down the ice, finds Jack Quinn and he scores his second of the game.

Jack Quinn makes it 3-1

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T23:26:47.859Z

After 30 minutes, the Sabres lead 3-1 in goals, and 15-10 in shots.

It's too bad we aren't playing horseshoes.

Tavares and Nylander came close to beating Levi before the 3-1 goal against

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T23:29:02.942Z

I'd take a hand grenade as well.

Max Domi almost follows in Jack Quinns footsteps of breaking a long drought with a two goal game, but just misses the puck on an open net. The Sabres clear, but Domi catches the puck at the blue line and passes it to Nick Robertson who scores to cut the lead by one.

Domi to McMann to Robertson

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T23:35:59.570Z

3-2 Buffalo just past the halfway mark.

Matthew Knies tries to tie the game with a wrap around but Henri Jokiharju slashes him, taking a penalty.

This time the power play pays off, as John Tavares deflects a shot into the Sabres net to tie the game.

JOHN TAVARES 🚨 The shin pad ties the game on the power play

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T23:38:41.837Z

3-3

The Leafs feed off this energy, and swarm the Sabres net. they have more puck control now, passing around the Sabres in their own zone, testing Levi more and more. It pays off, as John Tavares scores again to take the lead away from the Sabres!

JOHN TAVARES 🚨🚨 TWO GOALS IN 1:10

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-15T23:39:14.466Z

4-3 Toronto with 6:09 left.

Three goals in two and a half minutes, and Lindy Ruff calls a time out.

After two, Toronto leads 23-20 in shots, and 4-3 in goals.

The first 90 in the third. Goalies have swapped back to the first period.

23 seconds: Auston Matthews heads to the net, gets hooked by Henri Jokiharju, almost scores while falling.

the trip stopped a highlight reel Matthews goal

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-16T00:09:30.784Z

Leafs power play!

75 seconds: Sabres send the puck over the glass.

90 seconds: Tavares hits the post.

No Sabres goal! Lessons learned and sunk in!

The Leafs are all action this period, after five minutes shots are 6-0 Toronto, the crowd is noisier, everyone except the Sabres are into this game.

And don't worry. The defense is still there.

good poke from Hildeby

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-16T00:12:41.105Z

Once again, John Tavares almost completes the hat trick with some magic dangles around the Sabres defence, but is stopped by Levi.

Tavares put Byram through the spin cycle did everything but score

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-16T00:23:24.586Z

Halfway through the period the Leafs are pouring on the offense, outshooting the Sabres 13-0.

Eventually, the Leafs let the Sabres get a couple weak shots off, to keep Hildeby from going cold. Very considerate to think of the goalie.

A puck gets sent over the glass, and after double checking they call Jack Quinn for a Delay of Game penalty, which is being challenged. The challenge is successful, as it's determined the puck is deflected off a stick.

and it's waived off

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-16T00:36:39.470Z

Nick Robertson comes down the ice, stickhandling while tangled with Jack Quinn, but he gets a close shot off, Levi gets the puck just in time.

With 2:21 to go the Sabres empty the net, and John Tavares wins the face off, and send the puck down to the empty net to finally complete the hat trick.

JOHN TAVARES 🎩🎩🎩 Hat-trick, complete

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-16T00:43:16.740Z

5-3 Toronto.

Dylan Cozens, who lost the face off, stomps off the ice to the dressing room because he didn't like how the ref dropped the puck. Wow.

Oh, he was actually given a game misconduct. That's even funnier. Cozens with a misconduct for a tantrum.

The Sabres pull the goalie again, and Hildeby almost has a goalie goal, but it's saved by JJ Peterka.

Hildeby went for the goalie goal but Peterka stopped it

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-16T00:45:42.267Z

With seconds to go Chris Tanev gets a penalty for hooking Jack Quinn, giving the Sabres false hope for a six on four goal. They don't get it.

With a 5-3 win, the Maple Leafs extend the Sabres losing streak to 10 games, the longest this NHL season, and they bounce back from a loss to the Red Wings last night.

Dennis Hildeby gets the win in his third ever start after a few shaky minutes to start.

a Leafs win brings a smile to his face

— Omar (@tictactomar.bsky.social) 2024-12-16T00:49:46.165Z

The Maple Leafs are first in the Atlantic division, the Sabres are somehow, not last.

Toronto is going to pack up, hop on a plane, and head to Dallas to take on the Stars Wednesday night. This was an early one, that game will be a late one starting at 8PM. Then it's back to Buffalo for a rematch in a semi-home game at 7PM.

See you at the next game, and Go Leafs Go!

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