Leafs-Sabres: A tale of two rebuilds
On the warm Buffalo evening last summer that Auston Matthews was selected first overall by the Maple Leafs in a boo-filled KeyBank Center, a small pocket of Toronto fans sitting in the stands proudly showcased their t-shirts which sported the words: “Auston 20:16.”
“He’s going to be our saviour,” yelled one of them, trying to have his voice heard over the loud jeers of the locals who were anti-anything Toronto related.
Truth be told, the loyal sportsloving zealots of Buffalo have plenty of legitimate fodder to despise The Big Smoke when it comes to the world of fun and games.
Not so long ago, rocker Jon Bon Jovi was for a sliver of time part of a group that attempted to buy the Queen City’s beloved Bills with the intention of moving the franchise two hours up the QEW. Fortunately western New York billionaire Terry Pegula stepped in to purchase the team in 2014, but not without Buffalo sports fans harbouring plenty of bitterness at Toronto and, specifically, Bon Jovi, who was described in a subsequent article in as the “Most Hated Man in Buffalo.”
One year later, the Sabres wined and dined free agent coach Mike Babcock and were so encouraged at their chances to land the former Detroit Red Wings bench boss, preliminary plans were in place to introduce him to the Buffalo media. But a last minute change of heart left the Sabres as the jilted bride waiting at the alter while Babcock, citing family reasons, opted for Toronto’s groundbreaking eight-year, $50 million offer, one believed to be similar to that tabled by Buffalo.
Then came the coup de grace in 2016, one in which Matthews was picked by the rival Leafs right on Buffalo soil. For Sabres supporters, this was the deepest cut of all.
For the previous two seasons, Buffalo had finished dead last in the NHL standings yet each time was stripped of the right to pick first overall in the draft because of a bad bounce of a ping pong ball in the NHL’s draft lottery system.
Now, here were the Leafs on this memorable evening of June 24, 2016, calling out Matthews name as the first player taken in a draft.
To call Matthews a “saviour” was a bit over the top, but there is no doubt he has met expectations, if not exceeded them. As for his team, it certainly has done that, rocketing into third place in the Atlantic Division and making a strong bid to reach the playoffs for just the second time in 13 years despite many nights having seven rookies in the lineup.
To that end, on Saturday night, exactly 274 days after Matthews became a Maple Leaf, he and his teammates will return to the building in which he was drafted in to face a Sabres team that is a whopping 13 points behind Toronto in the eastern conference standings. Call it a Tale of Two Rebuilds. Slog through the layers of the Matthews hype and the contributions of all the rookies are evident. Matthews is one goal away from tying Wendel Clark’s franchise rookie record for goals (34) while Nylander set a team freshman mark for most consecutive games with a point (10) in Thursday’s 4-2 win over New Jersey. All in all, three first-year players — Matthews (60 points), Marner (57) and Nylander (56) — lead the team in scoring.
While in Buffalo, various reports of a disconnect between coach Dan Bylsma and his players have surfaced. While Babcock is starting to get mentioned as a potential coach of the year candidate, Bylsma has three more seasons left on his fiveyear deal while GM Tim Murray was inked to a multi-year extension on the eve of the Sabres season opener.
With 50 points in 53 games, Jack Eichel has been outstanding while Sam Reinhart continues to improve. Secondary scoring, however remains an issue. While both teams have allowed 214 goals, the Sabres have scored 42 fewer times than the Leafs.
As for some of the Sabres prospects, columnist Mike Harrington wondered after a 4-3 loss to the Leafs Jan. 17 just when the likes of Justin Bailey, Nick Baptiste and Hudson Fasching would start significantly chipping in to Buffalo’s efforts. While injuries have played a role, those three have combined for just five goals for the Sabres this season.
Still, maybe the chasm between the two teams isn’t as wide as you might think. On Feb. 18, the Sabres were just one point behind the Leafs. In the five subsequent weeks Toronto widened the gap by 12 more.
“We thought we’d be much closer and fighting for that last (playoff ) spot right now, especially when we were coming out of the break,” Sabres forward Ryan O’Reilly said Friday.
“With Toronto, there’s always hype around them. They’re one of the most talked-about teams in hockey. It’s a rivalry.”
And then, O’Reilly delivered a sentiment that likely echoed that of Sabres fans everywhere.
“I want to beat them,” O”Reilly said of the Leafs, who defeated Buffalo 2-1 Nov. 3 in their only previous meeting at KeyBank Center this season.
“I don’t want to see them in the playoffs.”
With two home games still remaining against Toronto, here’s Buffalo’s chance to help keep that from happening.