3 Takeaways From the Maple Leafs’ 4-0 Win Over the Sabres

Last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs travelled down the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) to take on the Buffalo Sabres in Game 81 of the season. For the Maple Leafs, it wasn’t just the second-last game of the season—it was a milestone night, and more importantly, a chance to clinch the Atlantic Division and lock in a first-round matchup with the Ottawa Senators.

Although the game had a slow start, the Maple Leafs took the lead and never looked back. After a flurry of goals in the third period, they hit their milestones and officially secured the division title for the first time since 1999-00 in a traditional season format—giving them, at least on paper, the best path to the Stanley Cup Final.

Laughton & Lorentz Show Off Chemistry

The first goal of the game—and eventual game-winner—came off the stick of Steven Lorentz, who has been a terrific addition to the Maple Leafs’ bottom six. With yet another game-winning goal, the team is now 7-1 when he scores. This goal was more than just a strong finish; it was the product of a well-executed shift by the fourth line. It started with a dump-in by Calle Järnkrok, followed by a strong forecheck from Scott Laughton. Laughton dug the puck out of the corner and sauced a perfect pass to Lorentz, who found open space in the slot and hammered it past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

During the second intermission, Lorentz spoke about the new-look fourth line, saying he feels he and Laughton have strong chemistry because they think the game the same way. His comment was made even better by what followed his goal—when the two returned to the bench, Lorentz kissed Laughton’s helmet as a thank you for the feed.

Stolarz is Lights Out Once Again

It seems like every time Anthony Stolarz gets the start, we’re talking about how good he was—and last night was no different. He posted another shutout—his second in a row—and has now extended his shutout streak against Buffalo to three games (180 minutes). There were moments in the game when he was tested, but he stuck to his fundamentals and stayed composed to keep the clean sheet intact.

Related: Maple Leafs Officially Clinch First Place in Atlantic Division

Over his last eight starts, Stolarz has gone 8-0-0 with a .950 save percentage (SV%) and three shutouts. Those shutouts came against the Columbus Blue Jackets (April 5), Montreal Canadiens (April 12), and now Buffalo. In between, he backstopped the Maple Leafs to what may have been their biggest win of the season—a 4-3 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning that paved the way to clinching the division.

Matthews & Marner Reach Their Milestones

As mentioned earlier, this was a milestone night for more reasons than just clinching the division. Mitch Marner recorded his 100th point of the season, hitting the mark for the first time in his career. Then, Auston Matthews added to the historic night by scoring his 400th career goal.

Matthews became the sixth-fastest player in NHL history to hit 400 goals, doing it in 628 games—faster than Alexander Ovechkin, who reached the mark in 634 games. The only players to do it quicker than Matthews are Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, Mario Lemieux, Brett Hull, and Jari Kurri.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

The Maple Leafs will return home to face the Detroit Red Wings in their final game of the regular season. After that, all focus will shift to Game 1 of the first round against the Senators. It’s a series the Maple Leafs are heavily favoured in, and the hope is that they can take care of business quickly and gear up for what they hope will be a deep playoff run.