*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.
*******
It is like a tally of terrible performances when you look at the Toronto Maple Leafs all-time record in Buffalo. Whether it has been at the long since gone Memorial Auditorium or whatever name the current arena has gone by, it has been a house of horrors for the Blue and White.
The Leafs will hope to improve on their 34-68-6-6 record on Saturday against the Sabres at Key Bank Center. Buffalo will be playing the second of back-to-back home games following a 5-2 victory over New Jersey on Friday, while the Leafs are coming off a strong performance in a 5-1 win over Washington on Thursday.
In the grand scheme of things, this is one of the more inconsequential meetings of the Atlantic Division rivals, as the Leafs are firmly nestled in a playoff spot, and the Sabres have a 2.3% chance of ending their long playoff drought. The only motivation for Toronto could be what happened the last time they visited Buffalo.
Hopefully the sizable throng of Leafs fans that ventured down the QEW got some good chicken wings while they were here because they were witness to a 9-3 beatdown at the hands of the Sabres on December 21. Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that the loss was mentioned to the club, but more as a reminder of what the Sabres are capable of.
"(That was) a long time ago, a lot has changed since then, but it's a reminder of what this opponent is capable of." Keefe said. "These kinds of teams that we've played, there's a ton of skill on these teams that are trying to find their way into the playoffs. You look at them (and say) that you should be able to win against (them), but these guys make it really hard on you if you don't play with detail and structure and discipline."
That loss was perhaps the low point of Ilya Samsonov’s season and prior to his being given a respite, as he allowed five goals on 19 shots before being pulled in favor of Martin Jones. After three straight starts for Joseph Woll, Keefe indicated that Samsonov would get the start for Toronto.
The Leafs made a cap move to open up space to call up defenseman Marshall Rifai as an extra defender on Saturday, moving Mitch Marner from IR to LTIR. Marner has been out more than three weeks with a lower-body injury and is expected to return sometime this week.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»