Toronto Maple Leafs face-off against Buffalo Sabres
The Toronto Maple Leafs will face-off against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday 26 November when the two teams meet at Buffalo’s HSBC Arena.
The Maple Leafs have gone 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and are coming off a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars. Toronto is currently fourth in the Northeast Division with 19 points and sits one place above
the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres also have 19 points, but have played three more games than Toronto and have three more losses. Buffalo has struggled, losing their last two games, but were on somewhat of a roll prior to, going 5-4-1 in their last 10. Both teams
are sure to be revved up for an important divisional match-up.
The Maple Leafs will look to build on their four-goal game in Dallas, in which the team looked out of character by filling the back of the net. The consistent strong play of the club’s second line, which
features Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemen and Clarke MacArthur, will be counted on against a speedy Sabres team. In addition, the ‘Buds’ will continue to look for more from their first line, which houses Tyler Bozak, Phil Kessel and Nazem Kadri. Kadri has
been a welcomed addition to the team’s top line, as the youngster has picked up four points in only five games. Moreover, the club will hope that forward Kris Versteeg will be able to keep up his strong play on the third line, which sees the winger with six
goals and six assists.
Meanwhile, Buffalo has been up to its old tricks over the last two games, unable to score goals, losing 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning and then 1-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sabres will be looking
for more from forward Jason Pominville, who has had trouble on the team’s top line, since getting back from a concussion he suffered early in the year. In addition, Buffalo will be hoping they can get centre Tim Connolly back, who missed the game against Pittsburgh
due to a groin injury. Expect winger Thomas Vanek to continue his hot streak, working with number one centre Derek Roy.
Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson has said he will be giving Jonas Gustavsson his fourth straight start. Since coming in for the injured J-S Giguere, Gustavsson has managed a 2-1 record, while stopping
87 of 91 shots. The 26-year-old has been solid this season, despite his 3-4-1 record. The net-minder currently enjoys a .922 save-percentage and a 2.30 goals-against-average.
Ryan Miller is expected to get the start against the Maple Leafs after missing the past two games with a groin injury. Miller has battled injuries all season and has not been able to round into form. The
30-year-old has managed to post a .909 save-percentage and a 2.62 goals-against-average. However, before re-aggravating his groin Miller posted a .944 save-percentage in a win over the Los Angeles Kings.
The Leafs-Sabres battle in Buffalo will decide who takes over last place in the Northeast Division.
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