Leafs Surrender Lead Late In Loss To Sabres 

Anyone who knows the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres knows that the Leafs closest geographic rival has had their number for years. No matter if the Sabres are a contender or a struggling club, they seem to be able to raise their game to a higher level when playing Toronto. 

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Things seemed to be set up well for the Leafs, coming off a difficult three-game road trip, as the Sabres were coming off a shootout loss to Montreal on Tuesday in which they generated only 16 shots, and were without team captain Rasmus Dahlin, but that did not seem to matter much, as the Leafs squandered a two-goal lead late in the third period in a 5-4 overtime loss at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.

Kirill Marchenko scored his first hat trick with the Leafs in his 300th career NHL game, and Auston Matthews added his club-leading sixth goal of the season, but an injury to veteran John Tavares and some curious lineup usage by head coach Jim Hiller provided the Sabres a window for a comeback. Tavares collided with two players and lingered on the ice for a few minutes before heading to the locker room, not to return. 

Fourth-liner Zack MacEwen played just 5:27, and puzzlingly rookie Gavin McKenna was benched in the second period and played just 6:36. Going with nine forwards for most of the third, Dennis Gilbert and Mattias Samuelsson tied the game within a span of 2:11, and the Leafs lost a point when Owen Power scored at 3:14 of the extra frame. 

“(The Sabres) just started coming, and we didn’t have an answer. We made some mistakes in those moments. I know it’s hard when you’re on your heels, but you just have to be able to have a little poise and somebody to make a play.” Hiller said after the game about his club trying to hold onto the lead.  

An Explanation For The Benching

McKenna was on the ice for Jack Quinn’s tying goal early in the middle frame, but there did not seem to be a glaring mistake on the ice that would necessitate a benching for the entire second half of the game. 

“(Benching McKenna) was my decision. We went for a stretch—I think we had those penalties. I wanted to get him out there. He sat through those penalties, and then I didn’t get him out there through that stretch. The last few minutes of the (second) period, we’re just trying to get out of the period, I guess you would say. Now I’ve sat him for so long, and he sits in the intermission. I probably should’ve gotten him out there early in the third. I didn’t, so I’ll talk to him about that.”

Hiller’s explanation does not hold water in any sense, especially after the Tavares injury and the club scrambling to hold onto a lead. The Leafs also continued to display a complete inability to play shutdown hockey, which begs the question of why they didn’t just keep pressing the Sabres, who were without their top defenseman. 

The Leafs are continuing to display a level of play consistent with a team with a bunch of new players trying to get used to playing with each other, but this lack of familiarity and structure has already cost them valuable points.