Leafs determined to get rare division title ‘out of the way’ in Buffalo
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The Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres skated at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Tuesday.
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The Maple Leafs need just one point to clinch their first ever Atlantic Division title.
"It’s special," said winger Steven Lorentz. "We got two games left and we just want to get it out of the way tonight."
"Obviously a great opportunity," centre John Tavares said. "It’s been really close here over the last couple games and a chance to take care of it ourselves today. We want to continue to build on a lot of good things that we’re doing."
The Leafs have gone on a 11-2-1 run since mid-March.
By finishing first, the Leafs would set up a date with the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the playoffs. They will also win the division if the Tampa Bay Lightning lose one of their two remaining games. The Lightning host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday before concluding their regular season on Thursday in New York against the Rangers.
"Obviously it’s a good opportunity for the team and the organization," said coach Craig Berube. "We got to come out and be ready to go."
"It’d be fun to steal one from them tonight and rain on their parade a bit," said Buffalo defenceman Bowen Byram.
The Leafs are looking to sweep all three games of the season series from the Sabres.
"This team’s scoring a lot of goals lately," Berube warned. "They got high-end talent. We got to make sure we’re checking and doing things right here early on in this game. They start fast."
Toronto has only won its division twice since the Original Six era. They finished first in the North Division in 2021 and claimed top spot in the Northeast Division in 1999-2000.
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The Sabres will miss the playoffs for an NHL record 14th straight season, but they are playing hard for coach Lindy Ruff down the stretch. Buffalo is 17-12-2 (.581 points percentage) since late January.
"We’ve learned a lot lately," said captain Rasmus Dahlin. "The last, whatever, 25, 30 games, we’ve taken steps for sure. We’re finding a new type of game I would say. We’re playing the right way now. We’re not playing this young, immature hockey anymore. We’re doing the right things and we’re getting better. I would say the last 30 games we’ve taken steps."
What's the right way look like for the Sabres?
"Boring," the 25-year-old defenceman said. "Boring stuff out there. Dump the puck in. Don’t force stuff, don’t try to make plays always. Stay on the right side, don’t cheat. Stuff like that you have to learn and it takes years for young guys to find that type of game."
Dahlin believes it takes time for young players to appreciate that what works in junior hockey will not translate to the NHL level.
"You have to f--k up," he said. "You have to do all that stuff to learn from it and it takes time."
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The Sabres have won 13 of 15 games at home, but it never really feels like a true home game against the Leafs.
"I know we got a lot of fans here," said Berube. "It’s noticeable for sure. I think the atmosphere is going to be really good."
Leafs centre Scott Laughton will have his parents and grandma at the game.
"This is kind of where I came for most of my games," the Oakville, Ont. native said. "I’d come down and watch Buffalo play and they were pretty good at that time too with [Dominik] Hasek and all these guys. So, yeah, it’s cool for me. Always had pretty good memories in this rink of coming here as a kid."
Lorentz got his first taste of what it's like back in December when the Leafs picked up a 6-3 win here.
"There’s definitely a lot of Leafs fans," the Kitchener, Ont. native said. "I’m expecting some loud cheers when we get on the scoresheet."
Does that motivate the Sabres?
"Yeah, it does," Dahlin said. "I hate that."
The Leafs can set a franchise record by winning a 25th road game this season.
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Auston Matthews scored goal No. 60 last season in Buffalo, which generated a big pop from the Leafs fans in the building.
" I was lucky enough to be on the ice when Matthews scored his 60th so, ah, it’s something different that you don’t see every day," Byram recalled. "Kind of an unfortunate play. I was the last guy back and my stick broke and then later on in the play he ended up scoring. Seeing it on TSN for a while after that, so that always makes it fun too. We just come here and try to do our job no matter who’s in the building."
There are a couple personal milestones within reach on Tuesday as Mitch Marner is sitting on 99 points this season while Matthews enters the game just one goal away from 400 in his career. Maybe the linemates will get it done on the same play?
"That would be definitely special," said Lorentz. "I don’t know who gets to keep the puck then. They can argue amongst themselves if that happens. Two elite, elite hockey players and great guys. Super happy for both of them. It’s an incredible achievement both ways you look at it. It’s going to be exciting for them."
Marner finished with 99 points two years ago and is looking to become only the fourth Leafs player to hit triple digits joining Matthews, Darryl Sitler and Doug Gilmour.
"He’s so deceptive," said Dahlin. "You never know what he’s doing. You never know where he’s going."
"He’s trying to find guys away from him, draw guys to him, and find guys in behind you," said Sabres centre Tage Thompson. "You gotta look for guys away from the puck. For us tonight it’s not about getting puck-watching in the D-zone."
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Max Domi moved up to the second line with Tavares and William Nylander for Sunday's game in Raleigh and responded with a two-assist performance against the Hurricanes.
"They were going against that [Sebastian] Aho line a lot," Berube noted. "I wanted a little more speed in that line ... He did a good job."
Domi continued to skate with Tavares and Nylander on Tuesday morning.
"Max really starts to thrive this time of year," Tavares said. "Very intense guy, tremendous playmaker. His game really starts to build and grow. He’s a factor for us all year, but he really enjoys the build-up to playoffs and then playoff hockey. I haven’t played with him a ton throughout the course of this season so it's on me and Willy to build that chemistry."
Domi scored in both previous games against the Sabres this season.
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During a breakaway chance on Carolina's Frederik Andersen on Sunday, Laughton decided to unleash a slapshot.
"Worked out for me earlier this year on a breakaway," he explained. "I went bar down. It went bar out in Carolina. It’s something to change it up. He’s a big goalie and try to beat him clean. It didn’t work out, but will probably use it again in the future again if I get another one ... It didn’t go in, but thought it was the right play."
The move caught his new teammates off guard.
"I think they were expecting a little backhand, five-hole [move]," Laughton said. "[Morgan] Rielly, my first day here, threw up a little highlight pack from my time in Philly, so I think they were expecting that."
Laughton has one goal and one assist in 18 games since being acquired by the Leafs in a deadline deal with the Philadelphia Flyers.
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Anthony Stolarz will start for the Leafs. He is 3-0-0 in Buffalo with two shutouts in his past two trips.
Stolarz picked up the win last year when the Florida Panthers beat the Leafs to clinch the Atlantic Division title in their final regular season game.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen gets the start for Buffalo.
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Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, defenceman Jake McCabe and centre David Kampf did not travel to Buffalo and will remain sidelined due to injury.
Ekman-Larsson, who sustained an upper-body injury last Wednesday in Tampa, has resumed skating. Will he be ready for Game 1 of the playoffs?
"That’s a good question," Berube said. "Right now I expect him to play but you never know. He’s tough. He’ll play through things. If he’s not in the lineup then somebody else is going to have to step up. That’s just the bottom line. That’s part of playoffs."
McCabe has been out since suffering his own upper-body injury on April 2 in a game against the Panthers. Will he be able to play on Thursday?
"I don’t know," said Berube. "That’s going to have to be a question and conversation I’m going to have to have with him individually about where he’s at and what I think is best for the team and him."
It's same situation with Kampf, who got hurt in that same game on April 2.
"Is it worth them getting in that game [Thursday]? I don’t know," Berube said. "Like, to risk getting hurt again, just gotta play it by ear."
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Lines at Leafs skate:
Knies - Matthews - Marner
Domi - Tavares - Nylander
McMann - Holmberg - Robertson
Lorentz - Laughton - Jarnkrok
Benoit - Tanev
Rielly - Myers
Mermis - Carlo
Stolarz
Woll