Matthews’ 54th wins in OT
Samsonov puts on clutch performance in net late against floundering Sabres
Much has changed since the last time the Maple Leafs played the Buffalo Sabres.
It was just before Christmas and the Leafs were in disarray, going through one of their roughest stretches of the season. They were 16-8-6 but trending in the wrong direction, and a commitment to a team game yet to be found.
Goalie Ilya Samsonov was about to be waived in a mercy move to help him get his game back. And the Sabres let the Leafs have it, a 9-3 shellacking.
Since then the Leafs have gone 20-10-2, essentially nailing down a playoff spot and setting themselves up for some trade-deadline additions.
A latent ability to play defence was part of the reason. Samsonov returning to form was a factor, too.
That was all on display in the Leafs’ 2-1 win Wednesday night, a slow-moving, defensive grind of a game decided in a rather exciting overtime on a goal by Auston Matthews.
Samsonov made a number of saves late in the third period and overtime, including a glove save on Tage Thompson with 1:22 left in the extra period, that had the Scotiabank Arena crowd chanting his name.
That made Leaf coach Sheldon Keefe’s comments earlier in the day seem prescient.
“He’s got that confidence, that swagger, that’s a big part of his game,” Keefe said. “And he’s been building on that. Obviously.
“We know he’s been through some tough times here and found his way through it. He’s done the work. So I think he’s just feeling good in that sense.”
Matthews picked up his leagueleading 54th goal with 40 seconds remaining in overtime as the Leafs ended a five-game losing streak against Atlantic Division opponents.
William Nylander opened the scoring and extended his point streak against the Sabres to eight games, going back to March 13, 2022.
Getting Buffaloed
The Sabres typically do well against the Leafs regardless of their place in the standings, but the games were particularly one-sided earlier this season. Buffalo won 6-4 in November and 9-3 in December, so the Leafs were looking for some sort of face-saving response.
“We’re in a much better place as a team right now than where we were then,” Keefe said. “But it gets your attention. You’ve given up 15 goals in two games. It is one of the most skilled teams in this league.
“So if you don’t defend, if you don’t take care of the puck, if you make it easy on them, they make you look bad.”
The Leafs looked fine after a goalless first period, keeping the Sabres in check for the most part. They took the play to the Sabres, building a 6-0 lead in shots, none of them particularly dangerous.
The Sabres had no shots on goal for the first 15 minutes, but rattled off nine straight through the final five minutes of the frame, all stopped by Samsonov. They got close once, but video review determined the puck didn’t go over the line.
All tied
Nylander opened the scoring 2:29 into the second period, finishing off a play with linemates Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi with a wrist shot.
Victor Oloffson tied it with a seeing-eye wrist shot over Samsonov at 6:31 but the offence was definitely not a harbinger of things to come.
Both teams continued their commitment to defence through the second period. Scoring chances were few and far between and even power plays did little to trigger chances or move the needle off the 1-1 score.
Roster changes
There were a few lineup changes for the Leafs, with William Lagesson and Noah Gregor drawing in for Jake McCabe and Pontus Holmberg.
Keefe hinted at the morning skate that the flu bug was going through the room again. He also had not been happy with Holmberg’s play of late, saying at practice Tuesday that the forward had taken a step back.
But it was good news for Gregor, who had missed six games in a row.
“I’ve been there before, but it’s never fun,” Gregor said. “I want to be in the lineup. I thought I’ve done a pretty good job this year of staying consistent.”