Here we go again!
Welcome to the fifth and final installation of the Border war between the Buffalo Sabres Leafs this season.
On Saturday March 25, the Buffalo trounced Toronto 5-2 in Buffalo.
Jack Eichel scored two goals and the Sabres got singles from Ryan O'Reilly, Evander Kane, and Dmitry Kulikov.
Remember these guys?
Charming lads, aren't they?
Knock, knock. Who's there?! #BattleOfQEW pic.twitter.com/4K439SPJpr
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) April 3, 2017
The Sabres and their fans would love to beat the Leafs again and mess around with their playoff aspirations. The Sabres are spoilers and the Leafs need both points to keep pace with the Bruins and Senators. Boston have 92 points. Toronto and Ottawa have 91 points. All three teams are looking to finish third in the Atlantic Division standings.
The Bruins beat the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon which makes Monday night's game at buffalo a must win for the Leafs.The Sabres and their loyal fans would love nothing more than to knock the Leafs out of playoff contention. The Leafs need two points in the worst way now that Boston have won five straight games. Ottawa and Toronto are running out of runway.
Leafs @ Sabres just got juicier pic.twitter.com/UhH4zsSFWF
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) April 2, 2017
The home team has won 24 of the last 29 games between the Sabres and the Maple Leafs.
The Sabres are 18-2-1 in their last 21 home games against the Maple Leafs. Toronto’s win in Buffalo on November 3, 2016 snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Sabres that lasted a hockey eternity of 1,373 days.
The Sabres and Leafs have won a road game the series this season, marking the first time the Sabres and Maple Leafs have won in each other’s arenas in the same season since 2012-13.
The Maple Leafs haven’t won consecutive games in Buffalo since March 21 and December 12, 2008
The Sabres are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games vs. the Maple Leafs; 8-1-1 at home.
This is the 206th game all-time between Buffalo and Toronto. Buffalo has a 113-66-26 series record.
The Sabres are 69-26-8 at home against the Maple Leafs all-time.
There will be a tasty new subplot to the Buffalo-Toronto war.
Alex Nylander has been waiting with baited breath for his first NHL call up.
The 19 year old Swedish scoring sensation is expected to make his NHL debut against his brother William and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.
When the Sabres signed C.J. Smith earlier this week, I immediately thought of Nylander. How can Tim Murray give Smith, an NCAA free agent, his NHL debut before giving his 2016 first rounder (8th overall) his first NHL game? Smith and Nylander are both left wingers.
Murray is going to play Nylander the final four games of the 2016-17 regular season. Murray cannot leave Nylander in Rochester without giving him a taste of the NHL life this season. Doing so will create bitterness between Camp Nylanter and Tim Murray. why alienate your 2016 first rounder? Ride your young horses, Tim.
Sabres-v-Leafs is a war of attrition.
It's high time that Alex gets a taste of the NHL life.
The Sabres host Nylander's brother William and the hated Leafs on Monday night. The Sabres will host Montreal on Wednesday night and then will conclude the season in Florida on Saturday night and in Tampa on Sunday afternoon.
Toronto Maple Leafs center William Nylander, who led all rookies with 4 goals and 10 assists in 14 games, was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for March.
William has 58 points in 75 games played this season.
It's not fair to compare Alex to William at this point in their respective careers. Alex has yet to skate a shift on NHL ice, however, that won't prevent Toronto media from making comparisons. Alex and William are similarly skilled, fast, smart forwards who can make plays and rip the puck.
Two closer friends you will never meet. The brothers Nylander are best friends. They will have to curb their enthusiasm and focus on the battles at hand between the whistles. Inside the glass, theybwill have to play as mortal enemies. They can hug, high five and pose for pictures in the hallway after the game.
Papa Michael played 920 NHL games. The elder Nylander scored 209 goals and 470 assists. His sons now will keep the Nylander NHL legacy alive.
In 62 games played this season, Nylander has scored 9 goals and 18 assists.
Nylander starred for his native Sweden at the recent IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Montreal where he scored 5 goals and 9 assists in 8 games played.
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Jack Eichel has eight points (3G, 5A) in six career games against the Maple Leafs.
In the time since his November 29 return from his high ankle sprain injury that sidelined him for 21 games, Jack Eichel is ranked seventh among all NHL skaters with 55 points (23G, 32A) and leads the NHL with 232 shots on goal.
Eichel has logged 40 points (15G, 25A) in his last 36 games, including 12 multi-point outings during that stretch. The Sabres are 14-2-0 this season (and 22-5-1 in his career) when he has at least two points.
Eichel’s .96 points per game rank him ninth among all players with at least 20 games played this season.
If Eichel finishes the season at a point-per-game pace or better, he will be the eighth player in franchise history to do so in one of his first two full NHL seasons, joining Rick Martin (1971-72), Rene Robert (1972-73), Dave Andreychuk (1983-84), Phil Housley (1983-84), Pierre Turgeon (1988-89), Alexander Mogilny (1990-91) and Thomas Vanek (2006-07).
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Evander Kane has scored each of his 27 goals this season in his 54 games played.
Kane has nine points (7G, 2A) in his last nine games against Toronto.
Kane is tied for 13th in the NHL with 24 even-strength goals despite not scoring his first until December 3.
Since December 1, Kane is tied for sixth among all NHL skaters in goals (27) and leads the NHL in even-strength goals (24).
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Congrats to C.J. Smith for collecting his first NHL point in his first ever NHL game.
Smith earned this apple on Evander Kane's 24th even strength goal of the season (27th total).
Such a nice play from CJ Smith in his @NHL debut. 🎠pic.twitter.com/tuxXEXmn7E
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 2, 2017
Smith (5'11", 185 lbs.) signed with the Sabres after completing his third season with the UMass Lowell River Hawks.
In 2016-17, Smith finished tied for eighth among NCAA skaters with 23 goals and ranked 12th with 51 points. Smith was also named the Hockey East Tournament MVP after leading the tournament with eight points (4G, 4A) in five games.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, and a veteran of the USHL, Smith finished his NCAA career with 125 points (56G, 69A) in 120 games. Smith was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team in 2014-15 and was named to the league's All-Tournament Teams each of the last two seasons.
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The Sabres are 50-for-57 (87.7%) on the penalty kill in their last 22 games.
Sam Reinhart has totaled four points (1+3) in four games against Toronto this season.
Tyler Ennis has 19 points (8+11) in 20 games against Toronto since the beginning of the 2011-12 season.