The Sabres walk into Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night still looking for something they haven’t yet found on the road against Toronto: that first win against a division rival away from home. Puck drop for Game 8 is set for 7:00 pm in Toronto, with Buffalo and the Maple Leafs both sitting at 3-3-1 and tied with seven points in the Atlantic Division.
Buffalo has at least one point in each of its last four meetings with Toronto, going 3-0-1 in that stretch. Two of those last four games went beyond regulation, and if the Sabres can get a point again, they’ll have their longest point streak against the Maple Leafs since Nov. 15, 2014 to March 7, 2016, when they ran off five straight (4-0-1).
Buffalo also enters with back-to-back wins over Toronto, and another victory would give the Sabres their first three-game winning streak against the Leafs since March 13 to Dec. 21, 2023.
Buffalo’s lineup has Peyton Krebs centering Tage Thompson and Josh Doan on the top line, with Zach Benson, Noah Ostlund and Jack Quinn next, followed by Jiri Kulich, Josh Norris and Konsta Helenius. Ryan McLeod, Justin Danforth and Beck Malenstyn make up the fourth line, while Sam Carrick is listed as an extra forward.
On defense, Mattias Samuelsson pairs with Zach Metsa, Olen Zellweger skates with Owen Power, and Dennis Gilbert is joined by Louis Crevier. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is the starter in goal, with Colten Ellis backing him up.
The injury list is worth watching, too. Tyson Kozak is day-to-day with an upper-body issue, while Matt Grzelcyk is on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury.
Rasmus Dahlin is also day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Alex Lyon remains out with an upper-body injury, and Conor Timmins, Jason Zucker, Topias Leinonen and Jack Rathbone are all on injured reserve.
Buffalo’s special teams numbers tell the story of a team still trying to clean things up. The Sabres enter with an 11.1 percent power play, which ranks 29th, and a 60.9 percent penalty kill, last in the league. Toronto sits on the other end of the spectrum with a 29.2 percent power play, fifth in the NHL, and a 95.8 percent penalty kill that leads the league.
The numbers from Buffalo’s top scorers highlight the early-season push from a few key pieces. Tage Thompson has seven points in seven games, Owen Power also has seven points, and Rasmus Dahlin has four points in six games.
Power has been especially busy, posting seven points in Buffalo’s first seven games, and a point Wednesday would make him the first Sabres defenseman since Rasmus Dahlin from Oct. 12 to 27, 2023 to reach eight or more points in the first eight games of a season. Power’s 26:26 of ice time per game also ranked sixth among NHL skaters entering play on Wednesday.
Zach Benson has also chipped in with assists in consecutive games, and an assist against Toronto would match the longest assist streak of his career. Olen Zellweger has quietly made his presence felt as well, recording points in back-to-back games with 2+1, including two goals in his last outing.
Thompson has a bigger milestone sitting in front of him. He has 217 career goals with Buffalo and needs one more to move past Jason Pominville for sole possession of 10th place on the Sabres’ all-time goal list. Thompson’s goal on Oct. 10 against Utah tied him with Don Luce for 11th, and his goal on Oct. 12 against Florida tied him with Pominville.
Toronto’s scoring leaders are piling up points at a faster clip. William Nylander and Auston Matthews each have 12 points through seven games, while Kirill Marchenko has six points.
In net, Sergei Bobrovsky gets the start for the Maple Leafs. He comes in at 1-2-1 with a 2.97 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.
Buffalo will need a sharper night in goal from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who enters at 2-2-1 with a 3.46 GAA and an .850 save percentage. The matchup sets up as another chance for the Sabres to keep nudging their way into better footing against a division opponent they’ve handled well lately, even if the road version of that breakthrough has yet to arrive.
In Other News...
Sabres Crease Suddenly Sits At Center Of A Bigger Trade Watch
Igor Shesterkins season-ending injury has sent the Rangers into the goalie market, and Buffalo has suddenly found its crease drawn into the conversation. New York general manager Chris Drury is taking a hard look at available options, while Rangers goalie scout Scott Clemmensen has been out identifying potential trade targets, with Sabres netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen among the names drawing attention.
The bigger intrigue is where that search could lead if New York decides to get aggressive. There is speculation about a larger trade structure that would involve the Sabres and Jets, with Luukkonen potentially part of the return headed to Manhattan and Connor Hellebuyck emerging as a possible fit for Buffalo, though nothing has been completed or announced. For the Sabres, it is the sort of rumor that puts their own goalie situation squarely in the middle of a much wider market. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Goaltending Trouble Puts A Familiar Trade Rumor Back In Play
Connor Hellebuycks situation in Winnipeg has lingered long enough to feel less like a hot rumor and more like an ongoing test of patience for everyone involved. The former Jets starter remains suspended after requesting a trade and not reporting to training camp, and while there has been plenty of outside speculation about where he might land, nothing has been completed.
For Buffalo, the timing keeps this possibility in view because the Sabres goaltending picture is unsettled, which naturally pulls attention back toward any established name who could alter it. Winnipeg, meanwhile, has opened the season well without Hellebuyck, adding another layer to a stalemate that has no easy answer and still leaves the door open to more chatter as the situation develops. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Still Waiting As Buffalo's Injury Picture Gets More Complicated
The Sabres injury picture got a little clearer, but not necessarily better, as Lindy Ruff laid out where several key players stand. Alex Lyon was unavailable for his season debut, so Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen got the start in goal, while captain Rasmus Dahlin remains day to day with an upper-body injury and winger Jason Zucker is continuing his return from surgery. Conor Timmins and Matt Grzelcyk are also working their way back, leaving Buffalo to manage yet another stretch with pieces missing from the lineup.
For a team trying to settle in early, the uncertainty around Dahlin looms largest because Buffalo has leaned so heavily on its top defenseman when healthy. The encouraging part is that Ruffs update suggested some progress across the board, but the Sabres are still waiting for those returns to translate into actual lineup stability, especially with the blue line and crease both in flux. [Read more 🡒]