For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter
The Toronto Maple Leafs close out the road portion of the 2016-17 regular season with a final visit to the Key Bank Center to take on the Buffalo Sabres.
It is the third time that Toronto will visit the house of horrors on the banks of Lake Erie (where they have gone 2-18-1 in their last 21 games), hoping for a result more closely resembling the 2-1 win in early November than the 5-2 thrashing they received 10 days ago.
The Leafs will go with the same lineup that won 5-4 in Detroit on Saturday, including Frederik Andersen making his third straight start in goal, while Buffalo will make a few changes after losing 4-2 to the New York Islanders on Sunday afternoon.
Former Leaf Cody Franson will return to the lineup from and Buffalo has called up 2016 first round pick Alex Nylander to make his NHL debut against his older brother William, who won NHL Rookie of the Month over the weekend.
Toronto will be using up the game in hand they have on Tampa Bay and one of the two they have on Boston in the race for the final two playoff spots in the East.
The weekend did not free up the logjam in the playoff race, as the Bruins matched the Leafs win over the Red Wings with a pair of victories over Florida and in Chicago on Sunday, moving into second place with 92 points.
The Ottawa Senators (2-5-3 in their last 10 games) are tied with Toronto at 91 points and received bad news on Monday, as forward Zack Smith, defensemen Marc Methot and Cody Ceci will be out for the rest of the regular season, and team captain Erik Karlsson is out day-to-day with a foot injury.
The Lightning stayed within three points of the Leafs and Sens earning three of a possible four points with an overtime loss to Montreal and a win over the Dallas Stars.
Tampa can get to 96 points if they win their four remaining games (at Boston, at Toronto on Thursday, at Montreal and their home finale against Buffalo), giving the Leafs a magic number of five to clinch a playoff spot, but with a 97% chance of making the post-season, the focus now switches to which opponent would be the best for Toronto to face in the first round.
At almost all costs, the Leafs would like to avoid playing the Washington Capitals, who are close to clinching their second straight President’s Trophy and the favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the Cup Final.
The Senators would seem to be easiest and most vulnerable opponent, with their free fall in March and recent rash of injuries, but Toronto struggled against Ottawa in their four regular season matchups, losing one in overtime, one in a shootout and one in regulation.
Although it would not be the easiest matchup, a first round series against Boston would be the capper to what has been the most exciting and entertaining season in recent memory. The Bruins are playing well under interim coach Bruce Cassidy, but Toronto swept the season series for the first time in 92 years and would have a chance to exorcise the demons of their first round loss four years ago.
Who would you prefer the #Leafs to play in the first round of the playoffs???
— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) April 3, 2017