Sabres score 5 unanswered goals in dominant win over Maple Leafs

Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato said Wednesday that Buffalo needed to return to its high-paced, high-compete offense, which ranked third in the league in goals scored per game last season.

The Sabres - healthier at forward with the returns of Jeff Skinner and Jordan Greenway to the lineup - picked up the pace and erupted for nine goals in a 9-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs inside KeyBank Center on Thursday.

Greenway and Skinner each scored in their first game back from injury while Jack Quinn tallied his first of the season after making his season debut on Tuesday. Alex Tuch (0+4), Skinner (2+1), Tage Thompson (1+2), Kyle Okposo (2+0), Zach Benson (0+2), and Connor Clifton (0+2) all recorded multi-point nights as the Sabres had 14 different players find the scoresheet in the victory.

“They just wanted to play. They played for a greater - I think - just a greater passion and love of the game, which is something we’ve missed,” Granato said. “And just playing for the right reason. The reason that’s made you great. The pure joy of playing and love of it. … If we get back to that, you’re going to see a lot more talent and skill. And that’s kind of the mission for us right now.”

Greenway set the tone just over two minutes into the game when he laid out a hit on Maple Leafs forward Nicholas Robertson to force a turnover in the Sabres’ zone before tallying a goal on the rush to open the scoring.

Toronto responded with a pair of goals from Auston Matthews and Max Domi but the Sabres, who were coming off a disappointing loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, answered back a minute later with two goals of their own from Owen Power and Skinner to take a 3-2 lead into the locker room at the end of the first period.

“I spoke the other night, there was a real lull after we gave up a couple goals,” Granato said. “Tonight, there was absolutely zero of that. We came out ready to go. I thought we were able to set a high bar for ourselves. That is a significant factor.”

The Sabres kept their foot on the gas pedal, outscoring the Maple Leafs 6-1 in the final two periods of play, including five unanswered goals to defeat a Toronto team that had previously recorded at least a point in nine of its last 10 games.

Here’s more from the Sabres’ 9-3 win.

1. Dahlin tallied the game-winning goal 4:44 into the second after JJ Peterka drew a tripping penalty on Noah Gregor while on the power play to give the Sabres a 5-on-3 advantage. The defenseman scored from the high slot 10 seconds into the 5-on-3 for his ninth of the season.

The goal marked the 55th tally of Dahlin’s career to put him into a tie with Alexei Zhitnik for fourth-most by a defenseman in Sabres history. Dahlin has now scored in consecutive games and has recorded seven points (3+4) in his last six games.

Following the win, Dahlin shared how important it was for the team to come back with a stellar performance following Tuesday’s loss to the Blue Jackets and how the group wanted to play hard for its coach.

“We really wanted to back Donny," he said. "That was our main focus today. He got way too much heat the other game. He didn’t deserve it. It was us that didn’t play good. It was not him, for sure not. So, we did this game for him.”

2. Skinner was activated from injured reserve prior to puck drop and had missed the previous three games with an upper-body injury he sustained against the Colorado Avalanche last Wednesday. He recorded his team-leading 13th and 14th goals of the campaign in his first game back.

Skinner’s first goal came with 4:09 remaining in the first period as Tuch intercepted the puck along the half wall and found Skinner alone in the low slot to beat Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov over his left shoulder. He scored his second with 7:37 left in the third to extend the Sabres’ lead to 8-3.

3. Quinn’s season debut Tuesday followed a 32-game absence due to offseason surgery to repair an injured Achilles tendon. He scored in just his second game back Thursday as Peterka fed him a pass at the backdoor.

“Quinny’s such a positive guy, he’s such a fun person to be around and he worked real hard to come back,” Okposo said. “Just to have him back in the lineup and he’s trying to get up to speed - it’s never easy when you miss a lot of time and you try to jump in in the middle of the season - but he’s doing a great job and he’s done a great job in the last couple of games and to see him get one in the back of the net was pretty cool.”

4. With the Sabres nearing full health, Granato was able to reunite the line of Skinner, Thompson, and Tuch as well as last season’s “Kid Line” of Peterka, Quinn, and Dylan Cozens to build off of the familiarity between the players. The two lines showcased their chemistry throughout the game as the six players combined for 12 points on the night.

“Dylan Cozens, you know, has played really well the last four games and now he’s got some familiar guys on his flank now with Jack back, and you can just see the energy and life that trio has,” Granato said.

“Skinner comes back in the lineup, and that trio looked pretty good. You saw the one goal they had late was lots of chemistry.”

5. Okposo scored a pair of goals, including a shorthanded goal as he intercepted the puck at the Sabres’ blue line to go on a breakaway and picked the top-right corner of the net to give the Sabres a 6-3 lead. He added his second with 4:58 remaining in the game from the left faceoff circle.

Buffalo’s captain has now scored in consecutive games with the 18th multi-goal performance of his career.

6. Zach Benson recorded two assists and has registered six points (2+4) in his last five games. The 18-year-old put together his fourth multi-point game of the season, which trails only Connor Bedard (5) in multi-point performances among all rookies.

7. Tuch tallied four assists, which was the most he has ever recorded in a single game in his career. According to Sabres PR, he is the first Sabres skater to record four or more assists in a single game since Skinner did so on Dec. 7, 2022.

8. Goaltender Devon Levi made 24 saves to improve to 4-0-1 in his last six appearances, posting a .916 save percentage in that span. He has stopped 152 of 166 shots since being recalled from the Rochester Americans on Dec. 5.

9. Defenseman Ryan Johnson re-entered the lineup in place of Henri Jokiharju. He skated 12:51 while posting one assist and one blocked shot in the win.

Up next

Buffalo visits the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday for the final meeting between the two teams this season. The Sabres defeated the Rangers 5-1 in their last meeting at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 27.

Pregame coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 7 p.m. while puck drop is slated for 7:30. Radio coverage for the game can be found on WBEN 930 AM.