This article is also available in French.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres Preview
On Saturday, the KeyBank Center in Buffalo hosts a vital contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres at 7:00 PM ET. The Sabres face a near-impossible task of making the playoffs this season. However, the Maple Leafs are in a promising position, but they’ll have to overcome a thriving Sabres side.
Despite their dwindling playoff hopes, Buffalo has won five of their previous ten games and posted an impressive win against the Calgary Wranglers in their latest contest. The Sabres secured a 4-1 victory over Calgary with three goals in the last period. Toronto is coming off the back of two defeats, including a 6-3 humiliation by the New Jersey Devils. Can the Canadian team continue their playoff hunt with a win over the Sabres?
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres Head-to-Head and Key Stats
Despite the Buffalo Sabres’ struggles this season, they’ve enjoyed playing against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Buffalo has won two out of the three meetings. The contests are usually entertaining, tallying ten or more goals twice. However, their latest game had three points and two goalless periods.
In the first period, neither side could get past the goaltenders. The Sabres had ten shots at the net, four more than the Toronto Maple Leafs. Thankfully, the second period was more entertaining. William Nylander posted the opening goal and gave Toronto the lead. A fast-paced counterattack from the Sabres leveled things up. Victor Olofsson notched his fifth goal this season and posted the last point of regular time. A goalless third period meant the game required overtime. Auston Matthews got the game-winner for Toronto, but the real hero was Ilya Samsonov, who made 23 saves during their victory.
The two teams had a thrilling contest in December 2023. Jordan Greenway scored the first point after just three minutes. It didn’t take long for the Maple Leafs to reply. Auston Matthews scored a goal-of-the-season contender and gave Devon Levi no chance of saving his shot. Toronto took the lead for the first time thanks to a beautiful wrist shot from Max Domi. However, the Sabres fought back in the final stages of the period, with Owen Power and Jeff Skinner restoring their lead.
During a five-on-three power play in the second period, Rasmus Dahlin notched his ninth goal this season. Toronto got within one point of the Sabres after Calle Jarnkrok completed a counterattack. But the Maple Leafs fans had nothing else to cheer, with Buffalo scoring five unanswered points across the second and third periods. Tage Thompson and Kyle Okposo notched in the second. The seventh Sabres goal came via Jack Quinn, who got his first of the season in the last period. Two more points from Jeff Skinner and Okposo gave Buffalo a 9-3 victory over Toronto.
The Buffalo Sabres could be in trouble this weekend if they don’t fix their offensive issues. Buffalo isn’t the worst team defensively, conceding 215 times. However, they have only scored 214 goals, which is low compared to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs have notched 256 times in 71 games, the third-highest goal tally in the NHL. Toronto’s defense isn’t the greatest, allowing 224 pucks into their net.
Unsurprisingly, the Sabres roster isn’t full of point scorers. Rasmus Dahlin is their biggest threat, but he only has 52 points (17G, 35A) this season. The top goalscorer spot has two players who scored 24 goals, JJ Peterka and Jeff Skinner. However, Skinner has played fewer games, so he’s more prolific. Toronto has two skaters with over 90 points on their roster. William Nylander leads the way with 94 (40G, 54A), but Auston Matthews is just one point behind.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres Predictions
Correct Score Prediction: Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres
When the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Buffalo Sabres, it’s usually an action-packed contest. The two sides notched 27 points in their last three meetings, and we think their next game will be just as entertaining. We predict Toronto will get the win over Buffalo this weekend, but we expect a close contest with eight points scored.
Both teams have struggled with consistency recently. In Toronto’s last four contests, they’ve scored 17 goals and conceded 13 times. However, most of these points came against the Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals. Buffalo has scored nine times in their previous three games but gave away 12 goals. With these statistics in mind, we expect a reasonably high-scoring contest. Our correct score prediction is a Maple Leafs 5-3 win over the Sabres.
Auston Matthews has scored four goals in his last five games, and we predict he will score again in Buffalo. The center has notched 11 points across his last five, which makes him hard to ignore this weekend. We predict Matthews will continue his point-scoring streak and post over 1.5 points. Tage Thompson is worth considering when looking at Buffalo player prop bets. Like Matthews, Thompson is also on a streak, scoring points in his last five outings for the Sabres. The 26-year-old has 45 points (22G, 23A) this season, and we predict he’ll get over 0.5 against Toronto.
The Toronto Maple Leafs usually start slow and often lose the first period. In their last three contests, Toronto has only won the opening 20 minutes once. That’s a bad sign for the Maple Leafs, as the Buffalo Sabres are excellent in the first period. The Sabres have won two out of their previous three opening 20 minutes. Novibet’s sportsbook lets you bet on the first-period winner. Based on their recent contests, Buffalo is our pick.
Novibet creates weekly high-quality hockey content, including top-ten lists, predictions, and betting picks for the upcoming NHL games. This week, we’ve ranked the best Canadian hockey players and best NHL teams. We’ve also analyzed the betting markets and found the best wagers for the Maple Leafs vs Sabres contest.
The final. pic.twitter.com/H38m6cGaiI
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 28, 2024
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres Betting Picks
The Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t playing their best hockey, but we‘re confident they’ll get the win over the Buffalo Sabres. When betting on the NHL, the moneyline isn’t usually ideal to extract value from your wagers. However, our sportsbook is unlikely to have a heavy favorite, so betting on the Maple Leafs via the moneyline is an excellent choice.
Buffalo is a dangerous team in the early stages, making the first team to score market an option. Although we expect them to lose, betting on the Sabres to score first is wise. The New York side has won most of their first periods recently, and Toronto’s questionable defense might struggle to contain Buffalo’s offensive threat in the opening minutes.
A win for the Maple Leafs wouldn’t surprise us, but a one-sided contest is unlikely. Our correct score prediction is for Toronto to notch a 5-3 victory over the Sabres. This two-point margin gives us plenty of options to explore. Those who regularly bet on hockey events will be familiar with spread wagers. The spread lets us add or deduct points from either side’s total points. Betting on Buffalo +2.5 returns a winning bet if our score prediction is correct. However, we suggest giving the Maple Leafs a +1.5 boost this weekend. The wager will return a smaller profit, but it lowers the risk in a potentially high-scoring contest.
We’ve already suggested player picks in our predictions section. However, we have some alternatives if you’re looking for greater profits. Connor Clifton is our first pick. The defenseman has notched two points in his last five games, and he’ll go under the radar when looking for Buffalo wagers. Scoring goals is not Clifton’s forte, but we believe he can get over 0.5 points this weekend and is a skilled player to monitor while live betting. TJ Brodie is our pick for Toronto. Brodie has also impressed during his latest contests, posting three points in five games. The Toronto defenseman hasn’t scored this season, so you’ll need to rely on his creativity to get over 0.5 points against Buffalo.
Perhaps you know which wagers you’d like to place this weekend? If so, use a welcome bonus on your picks. Using bonus funds on your bets is a great way to enjoy the game without risking your hard-earned money. If you’re a new Novibet customer, you can receive a bonus upon signing up.
Toronto Maple Leafs Team News
The Toronto Maple Leafs have nine injured players, but three skaters have short-term injuries. Mitch Marner and Joel Edmundson could both return before the end of March. However, their most significant loss is Morgan Rielly. The defenseman is vital to the Maple Leafs’ success, notching 51 points this season. Rielly’s dealing with a minor upper-body injury, so he could play this weekend if Toronto is happy with his condition.
Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly will not be available for tonight’s game due to injury (upper body)
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) March 26, 2024
Buffalo Sabres Team News
The Buffalo Sabres could see three skaters return. Buffalo withdrew Lukas Rousek from Tuesday’s practice session and is monitoring the forward. Rousek could face the Maple Leafs, as the injury doesn’t seem serious. Jack Quinn has recovered from a lower-body issue and returned to training. The Sabres medical staff are also monitoring Tyson Jost. Jost missed training last weekend but should be available for selection in Toronto.
