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There are constants in the universe. The sun rises, the sun sets, the stars come out in the night's sky......and the Toronto Maple Leafs lose in Buffalo.
In the nearly half century that the Sabres have been in the NHL, Toronto has played 105 games in the old “Aud… and the oft-renamed Key Bank Center and have gone 29-64-6-6. That's a .304 winning percentage folks. In front of a crowd of mostly Toronto fans from Southern Ontario, the Maple Leafs fell behind early to the Eastern Conference bottom-dwellers, rallied to tie the game, but quickly surrendered control back to Buffalo in a 5-3 loss on Monday.
Leo Komarov scored twice and Mitch Marner added a late goal for Toronto, who earned only two of a possible eight points and lost all four games of their road trip without Auston Matthews in the lineup.
Coming off a weak effort in Annapolis on Saturday, the Leafs were more unfortunate that outplayed in the opening 20 minutes, as the Sabres took a 2-0 lead on deflection goals by Sam Reinhart and Jason Pominville, but Komarov responded with the first of two goals with 7.4 seconds left in the period.
Komarov, who entered the game with just five goals in 67 games, tied the game midway through the middle frame on a nice give-and-go play with linemate Matt Martin. It took the Sabres less than three minutes to get the lead back on another deflection, this time off the skate of Zemgus Girgensons, and they extended their lead to 4-2 as Ron Hainsey’s pass behind the net to Morgan Rielly went off the referee and in front of the net to a waiting Ryan O’Reilly.
It was a rough night for the Leafs top pairing, who were on for three Buffalo goals and specifically for Hainsey, who was on the ice for all five goals and -4 in 17 minutes. The 36-year-old has struggled since returning from the flu in early February and may be fatigued by overuse throughout the seaso. Hainsey has just three points in 15 games and his average ice time is down two minutes in that span.
After the game, the frustration of the Leafs head coach was focused mostly on Johan Larsson’s third period goal that made it 5-2. The Sabres insurance marker was upheld in spite of the appearance of goaltender interference on the part of the Sabres forward.
The Leafs attempt to comeback late in the game pretty much ended with Johan Larsson’s goal midway through the third period to extend the Sabres lead to 5-2. Toronto asked for a review of the play for goalie interference and the replay showed contact between Larsson and Andersen’s left pad, but the goal was upheld.
Goalie interference? pic.twitter.com/9FlHtfyvH0
— Flintor (@TheFlintor) March 6, 2018
“What I don't like is the report that came out from the League is different than what they told me. (The officials) told me (Andersen) was interfered with outside the paint, which is not true, and that tonight is goalie interference any way you look at it.… Babcock said. “The coaches in the League, no one knows what's going on. We better get it solved. Just saying, just the statement, 'Okay, we're going to leave it the way it is.' No chance, get it fixed. Let's get it fixed before the playoffs so we all know the rules.…
Toronto has four days to regroup before their next contest, when the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Air Canada Centre on Saturday, when the Leafs have a chance to set a franchise record of 10 consecutive wins at home.
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