In that Montreal game, which our recap called Dahlin-less, the Canadiens outshot Buffalo 25-14, built a 3-1 lead in the 2nd and still needed a shootout to win 4-3. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 22 saves, and the Sabres scored 3 goals on 14 shots, which is efficient but not something you can count on. It was also the second night of a back-to-back. Buffalo gets Wednesday off to reset, which matters for a team whose goalie depth is thin, with Alex Lyon and Topias Leinonen both on IR.
Toronto's game at Utah is the one thing still to be decided. The Mammoth came into it at 4-2-0 and had already handled Buffalo 4-1 in Buffalo. However Toronto does in Salt Lake City, the Leafs then fly home and play Thursday on 1 day of rest. Who starts in goal for Toronto is still open. Bobrovsky has been their main goalie, but nothing is confirmed for Thursday. Toronto is also short on defense, with Chris Tanev on injured reserve, so both teams come in with holes on the back end.
Buffalo sits at 3-3-1 and has gone 2-3 in its last 5. The losses have mostly been about scoring: they were shut out 4-0 by Dallas and managed 1 goal against Utah. When they do score, as in the 5-goal game against Florida, they can play with anybody. Facing a Toronto team that just scored 6, Buffalo will need a lot more than 14 shots.
One more name to watch: Gavin McKenna. The 18-year-old had points in 3 straight games before the Utah game, the first Leaf that young to do it since Russ Courtnall in 1984. Buffalo will be dressing a patched-together defense, and a rookie who keeps getting on the scoresheet is a tough assignment for them. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET.