While the Toronto Maple Leafs are probably aware of their playoff fate, the Buffalo Sabres are playing for a postseason spot when they play. Following a convincing 5-2 comeback victory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night, Buffalo is in high spirits. With this victory, the Sabres were able to narrow their deficit to six points over the Washington Capitals for the Eastern Conference’s last wild-card place in the postseason race.
Tage Thompson led his side in scoring last night with a four-goal performance. Despite their short turnaround time and three games in three nights, the Sabres are motivated by a need to prove themselves and are riding a wave of energy.
On the other end of the rink, the Maple Leafs are coming off a solid 5-1 win over the Capitals on Thursday. That victory was a strong rebound effort after being called out by head coach Sheldon Keefe after a stinker of a game against the Devils on Tuesday.
The Maple Leafs will be missing some key players, yet they still can ice a strong team. Furthermore, Auston Matthews is looking for goal number 60, so he should fly around the ice. The Maple Leafs hope to maintain their momentum and build confidence as they finish their last 10 games of the regular season.
First, Thompson is confident after his stellar four-goal game against New Jersey. If he fancies himself a wanna-be future competition for Matthews as a goal scorer in the NHL, he’ll want to show the current goal leader what he can do. He’ll likely be motivated to continue to score against the Maple Leafs. Thompson could come out strong to build on his scoring streak.
Second, the Sabres are on a quick turnaround and that matters. After playing their third game in four nights, they could be out of both physical and emotional gas, each almost life-or-death for their postseason hopes. The game doesn’t shape up to be low-scoring. Fans should watch how the Sabres manage their energy tonight. Because Devon Levi played last night, they’ll start Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen tonight. He’s growing into a solid young goalie.
Third, fans should be interested to see how the Maple Leafs respond to their yo-yo last two games. They were down after the Devils’ loss but responded well in their previous game at home against Washington. Which Maple Leafs team will show up tonight?
As the regular season winds down, this game means different things to both teams. The Sabres are fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Maple Leafs are fighting for respect, to allow their young players to gain more experience, and to build their team’s mojo as it enters the postseason.
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