Sabres vs. Maple Leafs | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines

The Buffalo Sabres will look to turn the page on their first loss since the Olympic break when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center on Saturday.

A late goal against cost the Sabres at least one point in the standings in their 2-1 loss to Washington on Thursday, which snapped an eight-game winning streak. The team regrouped for a high-energy practice on Friday with their sights set on Toronto.

“We’ve tried to just stay with the process, which was a good team meeting this morning,” Ruff said Friday. “A good, honest meeting about not liking the way that game finished and how we gave away at least a point.

“We went through the key areas. We spent a good period of time on our defending and our support, and then we spent a good period of time on how we’re gonna score goals, how we’re going to be on the inside, and what we can do better for the next game.”

Buffalo enters Saturday still atop the Atlantic Division with 86 points, two ahead of Tampa Bay. Find a full breakdown of the standings and Saturday’s games to watch here.

Here’s what you need to know before puck drop.

How to watch

TV (Sabres broadcast market): MSG (Pregame coverage begins at 6:30 p.m.)

TV (national): NHL Network

Streaming: Gotham Sports App, ESPN+ (out of market)

Radio: WGR 550 / Buffalo Sabres App

More ways to watch/listen to Sabres games

Lineup notes

Alex Tuch practiced on Friday and there’s a possibility he returns to the lineup tonight, Ruff said. Tuch missed Thursday’s loss to Washington with a lower-body injury.

The Sabres could be without defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (maintenance) and recently acquired forward Tanner Pearson (lower body), both of whom missed practice on Friday.

If any of those three players are unable to dress, the Sabres have a long list of options available to join the lineup. Scratches for Thursday’s game included Josh Dunne and Tyson Kozak at forward along with Michael Kesselring and Zach Metsa on defense.

Assuming the Sabres stick to their goalie rotation, it will be Alex Lyon’s turn to start in net. He’s 4-0-0 with a .913 save percentage since the Olympic break.

Quick hits

• Rasmus Dahlin leads the season series against Toronto with seven points (3+4) in three games, including a hat trick in the most recent matchup on Jan. 27.
• The Sabres are 2-0-1 against the Maple Leafs this season. They won the previous matchup in Buffalo 5-3 on Oct. 24.
• Beck Malenstyn has points in back-to-back games (1+1). A point tonight would match the longest streak of his career.

Scouting the Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs came out of the Olympic break on an eight-game winless streak, all but ending their hopes for a 10th straight playoff berth.

Toronto finally snapped the streak with a 6-4 win over Anaheim on Thursday, but even that game was marred by the loss of captain Auston Matthews to a season-ending MCL injury. The injury was caused by a knee-on-knee collision from Ducks captain Radko Gudas, who has since been suspended for five games.

The Maple Leafs – while boasting one of the league’s top penalty kills – have struggled to keep the puck out of their net at even strength. They’ve allowed an NHL-high 168 goals and 823 scoring chances at 5-on-5, according to Stathletes.