Sabres at Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs can break two franchise records and extend their already all time-best home winning streak to 14 games when they host the NHL-worst Buffalo Sabres on Monday. The Maple Leafs have won six of their last seven overall to tie the team single-season record of 45 and equaled the 2005-06 team mark for the most home victories (26) after Saturday’s 4-3 triumph over Detroit.
Toronto, which appears to be locked into third place in the Atlantic Division and is close to clinching a playoff spot, rallied from a pair of deficits to knock off the Red Wings and pull within six points of the franchise record of 103 set in 2003-04. “Good teams just find ways to stick with it,” Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri told reporters. “Every game’s not going to be perfect. You’ve just got to be ready to cash in on your opportunities, and that’s what we did (Saturday).” The Sabres are at the bottom of the league with 58 points after scoring a total of two goals on 144 shots while suffering four straight losses, including Saturday's 5-1 setback against the New York Rangers. The teams split a pair of matchups in Buffalo already this month and play the finale of their four-game season series on April 2 at Toronto.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG (Buffalo), TSN4 (Toronto)
ABOUT THE SABRES (23-40-12): Jack Eichel has struggled since returning from an ankle injury, posting just an assist and a minus-8 rating in five games, but leads the team in goals (22) and points (54) despite missing 15 contests. Ryan O’Reilly is just one point behind Eichel but has notched only one in his last four games while Sam Reinhart has scored six of his 20 goals over his last 11 contests. Robin Lehner stopped eight of the 12 shots he faced on Saturday, but coach Phil Housley told reporters: “I can’t fault Robin on any of those goals. Missed coverages. Missed picking up guys. I don’t think he had a chance.”
ABOUT THE MAPLE LEAFS (45-23-7): Mitch Marner is riding an eight-game point streak during which he has collected three of his career-high 20 goals and eight assists to increase his team-leading total to 64 points. William Nylander has recorded three goals in his last four contests after enduring a 13-game drought while linemate Auston Matthews (29 goals) has notched two points in as many contests since returning from an upper-body injury that forced him to miss a month. James van Riemsdyk has registered eight of his career-best 34 goals - along with three assists - over his last six games and needs one to reach 200 in the NHL.
OVERTIME
1. The Maple Leafs are 11-for-22 with the man advantage over their last eight games while the Sabres have allowed four power-play goals over their last three contests.
2. Toronto D Morgan Rielly has notched 11 assists in his last eight games and is two away from his first 50-point campaign in the NHL.
3. Reinhart is three goals shy of matching his career high of 23 set in 2015-16 and needs four points to equal his personal best of 47, which he recorded last season.