The Toronto Maple Leafs took on the Buffalo Sabres in the second half of a back-to-back at home last night.
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In the first game, the Maple Leafs put forth a terrible performance and lost 5-3. Last night, things didn’t really change. They were still sloppy, sleepy, and slow, but managed to stay in the game long enough to steal a win in overtime. The win snaps a three-game losing streak, and with their opponents getting tougher in the coming weeks, they need to figure things out fast. Unfortunately, it looks like they may have to do it without William Nylander, who sat out with an injury for the first time since 2021.
But before we go any further, let’s look at a few takeaways from last night’s game.
Tavares Scores Goal #499 in Big OT Win
When the Maple Leafs fell behind midway through the third period, it looked like things were over. However, the players didn’t give up. Thanks to Dakota Joshua, who found the back of the net to tie the game, they got a much-needed spark of life.
In overtime, the Maple Leafs started Auston Matthews and Nicolas Roy up front, which raised some eyebrows, especially when the Sabres controlled most of the possession early. But when John Tavares and Matthew Knies jumped over the boards, things changed. The game opened up, and Buffalo had a scoring chance where the puck slid wide and went behind the net.
That’s when Tavares broke up the play, escaped the zone, and a tired Tage Thompson couldn’t catch him. Tavares blasted it past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to seal a huge win for his team. The goal brought the Maple Leafs back to .500 and ended their losing streak, while also marking Tavares’ 499th career goal.
McCabe Shows Off Physical Play
Last night, Jake McCabe looked like a defenseman straight out of the early 2000s. In the first period, he laid a thunderous hit on Bowen Byram, catching him high, then immediately dropped the gloves with Alex Tuch. And in that fight, he dominated.
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They started off trading positioning and short punches, but things went south for Tuch quickly. He spun around, lost his footing, and when he turned back to face McCabe, he was met with a heavy right hook straight to the chin.
Tuch went down hard after taking that punch. For McCabe, it was a memorable shift. He flattened a player just inside the blue line, then took down the teammate who stepped in. Tuch was given 17 minutes in penalties for being the third man in and challenging McCabe, while McCabe received five for fighting but nothing for the hit, which was deemed clean. Still, it wouldn’t be overly surprising if he ends up with a fine given the high contact on Byram. This is exactly what you like to see from players like McCabe. He isn’t going to generate a ton of offensive, but on the defensive side of the puck, he is a defender that opponents keep their head up.
Next for the Maple Leafs
Now that the Maple Leafs have wrapped up their home-and-home series against the Buffalo Sabres, they’ll move on to face the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, Oct. 28. After that, they’ll heading on the road for a four-game trip that begins in Columbus against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins before finishing up their road trip against the Utah Mammoth.
