Sabres defeat Maple Leafs outdoors in 2022 NHL Heritage Classic

HAMILTON, Ontario -- Vinnie Hinostroza had two goals and an assist to help the Buffalo Sabres defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 in the 2022 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic at Tim Hortons Field on Sunday.

Hinostroza made it 3-2 at 5:16 of the third period from a sharp angle on the left side, scoring between Petr Mrazek's blocker and the near post.
"It's been a special weekend having my son here and my wife here," Hinostroza said. "It's really special, being able to chip in and help the team win. Obviously we got the win, that's the biggest thing. There's so many distractions this weekend with family over and everyone at the hotel enjoying themselves, but our team did a great job putting that in the background and coming in and realizing we have a big game to win here. I'm really proud of our team."

Peyton Krebs scored twice, Tage Thompson had a goal and an assist, and Craig Anderson made 34 saves for the Sabres (20-32-8), who have won four of six.
Auston Matthews scored his NHL-leading 45th goal for the Maple Leafs (37-17-5), who have lost four of six. It was the second time in 12 days they have lost to the Sabres (5-1 on March 2).
"Every night you're playing a good team," Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly said. "There's no such thing as an off night in this league. I mean, teams are hungry. Guys [are] playing for contracts. There's lots going on. So I don't think that there's ever a night off. We talk about all the right things in the room prior to these games. … But teams come out and play us hard, so it's on us to respond. I don't think that it's an issue for us long term, but obviously right now it's been tough sledding."

Mrazek made 33 saves. He was pulled from his last start, when he allowed four goals on 12 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday.
"I thought Petr was good, he made some saves today," Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. "It's not an easy environment to play in, especially for a goalie. I thought he made some good saves. Nothing he could do on the first one, nothing he could do on the second, we put it in our own net, it was a funny bounce."
"I think he looked solid all things considered with the environment and everything like that."
The game was played outdoors in front of a sellout crowd of 26,119. It was 28 degrees at puck drop with scattered snow flurries that tapered off toward the end of the first period.
The teams switched ends halfway through the third to ensure each had equal time going against the wind.
"The main thing from the goalie perspective was the elements with the cold temperatures, you've got the (skaters') sticks [that] don't have the same flex," Anderson said. "They don't have the same bounce off of them. There's a little bit of an advantage for the goalie, and then the other element we had to deal with was the wind going from one direction versus the other. Shots coming at the net going one way were a little bit quicker going the other way. That was kind of my observation of the elements today."
Matthews gave Toronto a 2-1 lead at 2:57 of the second period when he took a pass from Alex Kerfoot and shot from the right face-off dot. It was his eighth goal during a five-game goal streak.
Hinostroza tied it 2-2 at 10:53 when his centering pass from the bottom of the right circle went off the skate of Maple Leafs defenseman TJ Brodie in the slot and over Mrazek's blocker.
"I think defensively tonight, some of those tonight were unlucky bounces," Matthews said. "Defensively, we've improved in some areas we wanted to clean up and then maybe some areas [that] weren't lacking before are kind of slipping."
After Hinostroza put Buffalo ahead in the third, Krebs pushed the lead to 4-2 at 13:49 when he one-timed a pass from Dylan Cozens in the slot for his second goal of the game. It was upheld after it video review determined that Mrazek caused the net to be displaced from its moorings before the puck crossed the goal line.

Thompson's shorthanded goal into an empty net made it 5-2 at 17:35.
Ondrej Kase put Toronto ahead 1-0 at 40 seconds of the second period. John Tavares won a face-off back to William Nylander, who shot from the top of the left circle, leading to a rebound in the goal crease that Kase put in.
Krebs tied it 1-1 at 1:22 when he one-timed a pass from Hinostroza in the slot.
"Vinnie's an awesome guy," Krebs said. "Every night he brings it. It's nice to see him get rewarded for that today, for sure. Good patience there, good play. All I had to do was hit the net. He was great for us tonight. It's exciting."
NOTES: Matthews was suspended two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Monday for cross-checking Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin at 14:55 of the third period. Matthews and Dahlin each was assessed a minor for cross-checking on the play. ... Brodie had an assist for his 300th NHL point. He has 53 goals and 247 assists in 749 games for the Calgary Flames and Maple Leafs. ... Anderson became the second goalie to win three NHL outdoor games. He won both of his previous outdoor games with the Ottawa Senators, making 29 saves in a 4-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks in the 2014 Heritage Classic in Vancouver on March 2, 2014, and 28 saves in a 3-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens in the 2017 NHL100 Classic in Ottawa on Dec. 16, 2017. Henrik Lundqvist won all four of outdoor games with the New York Rangers. ... The Sabres became the second team to have multiple players score more than one goal in an outdoor game. Yanic Perreault and Richard Zednik each scored twice for the Canadiens in a 4-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers in the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton on Nov. 22, 2003. That was the first of 35 NHL outdoor games.