Main storyline: The Sabres are in Toronto to finish off their four game road trip against a division rival. The Maple Leafs carry just a 1-4 record on home ice while the Sabres have just one regulation win on the year.
Season series: This will be the first of four meetings against Toronto. The Maple Leafs edged Buffalo in the season series last year, taking it 3-2 and winning the final game in the shootout. Each team will host a pair of games, but neither team has an obvious edge as they teams usually have close games.
Where they stand: Both teams are off to slow starts, but the Maple Leafs are still three points ahead of Buffalo. While the Sabres are last in the Atlantic Division, they are ranked 29th out of 30 in the league. Only Carolina is below them, a team that has yet to win a game in seven tries.
Recent performance: For the first time this season, the Sabres are coming off of a regulation victory after defeating the Sharks for the 7th consecutive time. The offense scored twice, but the young Sabres team has still not found the back of the net as much as Ted Nolan would like. The Maple Leafs’ last matchup resulted in a 4-1 loss on home ice against the Bruins. They were not able to keep up with Boston, another team that is off to a slow start.
Buffalo notes: Five Sabres players registered their first points of a season on Saturday against San Jose despite the team only scoring two goals. Sam Reinhart recorded his first NHL point on what was the eventual game-winning goal by Nicolas Deslauriers. Michal Neuvirth and Jhonas Enroth have arguably been the strong points for Buffalo to begin the season.
Opponent notes: Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak are leading the Toronto offense, but almost everyone on the active roster has at least one point. The Maple Leafs seem to have something going in the second period of games, where they have scored 10 goals. The Sabres have just two in those periods.
Conclusion: With both teams struggling, this game is up for grabs. The Sabres look to take advantage of a team that has had some struggles on home ice, while Toronto looks to earn a win against a team that has 10 goals this season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and can be seen on MSG.