The Toronto Maple Leafs return home after going .500 (1-1-1) on their first road trip of the season to face the Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs dressed a lineup of 11 forwards and seven defensemen in the 5-4 loss to Utah without blueliner Chris Tanev, but head Coach Jim Hiller would not confirm whether he will go in that direction against Buffalo, who has the same 3-3-1 record as Toronto.
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Tanev was placed on injured reserve after being injured in the win over Colorado on Saturday, and the club provided an update on Thursday, indicating that he was week-to-week with an upper-body injury. The 36-year-old was limited to 11 games last season due to concussion and core-muscle issues. It is unknown the specific nature of the injuries, but playing without Tanev is something that GM John Chayka had to be mentally planning for.
The Leafs blueline has been a sore spot thus far, and the absence of Tanev is something that the Leafs cannot compensate for internally. Marshall Rifai, who was recalled to play on Tuesday in Salt Lake City, is at best is a bottom pairing defender and not a permanent solution. 20-year-old Ben Danford may be that permanent solution, but he has played a grand total of 19 AHL games, including 16 in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has leading into the season that Chayka has been looking to upgrade the blueline since before the season, but said on Thursday’s 32 Thoughts podcast that the Leafs may try to ride it out until Tanev returns.
The issue for Toronto is that they have very few assets to trade to get an impact defenseman. It would be surprising if they were willing to deal Easton Cowan, and an asset like Colorado’s first round pick or a prospect like Danford as a return is more conducive to a deadline deal. The two available RFA’s (Carolina’s Alexander Nikishin and Detroit’s Simon Edvinsson) would likely cost way more than Danford and a #1, so it is possible that the Leafs will be bargain basement shopping between now and next March.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (3-3-1 – 7 POINTS)
vs.
BUFFALO SABRES (3-3-1 – 7 POINTS)
OCTOBER 15, 2026 ▪ 7:00 PM EST ▪ SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON)
TV: TSN ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590
GAME NOTES ▪ MAPLE LEAFS DIGITAL PRESS BOX ▪ LEAFS PR TWITTER
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY vs. BUFFALO
| All-Time Record: | 92-114-18-12 (236 (Games) |
| All-Time Home Record: | 55-45-12-5 (117 Games) |
| 2025-26: | 1-2-1 |
| Last Five: | 2-2-1 |
| Last 10: | 6-3-1 |
| First Matchup Between Clubs: | November 18, 1970 (Toronto 2 vs. Buffalo 7) |
| All-Time Record: | 92-114-18-12 (236 (Games) |
| All-Time Home Record: | 55-45-12-5 (117 Games) |
| All-Time Road Record: | 37-69-6-7 (119 Games) |
| Last Home Win vs. Opponent: | October 25, 2025 (Toronto 4 vs. Buffalo 3) |
MAPLE LEAFS / SABRES – 2026-27 TEAM STATS
| BUFFALO | TORONTO | |
| Goals For Per Game: | 2.71 (22nd-T) | 3.43 (9th-T) |
| Goals Against Per Game: | 3.57 (23rd) | 3.14 (20th-T) |
| Power Play %: | 11.1 (30th) | 29.2 (5th) |
| Penalty Kill %: | 60.9 (30th) | 95.8 (1st) |
| Shots For Per Game: | 25.6 (22nd-T) | 27.6 (14th) |
| Shots Against Per Game: | 23.9 (5th) | 29.9 (28th-T) |
| Faceoff %: | 47.8 (22nd) | 51.9 (10th) |
| (NHL rank in parenthesis) | ||
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