On the verge of the Atlantic Division title, the Toronto Maple Leafs can clinch first place when they visit the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
Toronto (50-26-4, 104 points) holds a four-point lead over the second-place Tampa Bay Lightning, with two games remaining for both teams. Barring two Lightning wins and two Toronto regulation losses, the Maple Leafs will be celebrating just their third division crown since the NHL adopted a divisional structure in the 1967-68 season.
The Leafs have risen to first place on the strength of an 11-2-1 record since March 17, and an ongoing three-game win streak. Toronto’s latest win was Sunday’s 4-1 road victory over another postseason-bound team in the Carolina Hurricanes. The Maple Leafs emerged victorious despite only 20 shots on net.
Grinding through tough games like Sunday’s contest is “what we’re expecting here moving forward,” Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly said.
“It’s a good opportunity for our guys to get comfortable. It can be nerve-wracking when you’re in these close games and the more you do it … it’s a good feeling,” Rielly said.
Mitch Marner leads the Leafs with 99 points (26 goals, 73 assists), and is a point away from becoming the fourth different player in Maple Leafs history to register a 100-point season.
Auston Matthews has two 100-point seasons on his resume, and the star forward can hit another milestone Tuesday. Matthews scored his 399th career goal on Sunday, putting him one tally away from the 400-goal club.
Tuesday marks the Leafs’ final road game of the season, and Toronto’s 24-13-3 away record is among the best in the NHL. Clinching in Buffalo won’t be easy, with the Sabres a perfect 7-0-0 record in their last seven home games.
The Sabres (35-38-7, 77 points) are returning home after their final road trip of the season, an 0-2-1 stretch that ended with Sunday’s 7-4 loss to the Lightning. Buffalo held a 2-1 lead after the first period, but Tampa Bay exploded to score the game’s next five goals.
“We’ve got the lead on the road after one (period), and we come out in the second and we hand them the game,” defenseman Connor Clifton said. “Then we’re chasing and we’re in some trouble. … So many of our losses this year just have been self-inflicted. Not teams beating us, but just us beating ourselves.”
Buffalo’s winless road trip delayed Lindy Ruff’s entry into the 900-win club. Ruff has 899 career wins, the fifth-most of any coach in NHL history.
Powered by their home win streak, the Sabres have a 10-5-1 record since March 15. Rasmus Dahlin leads the team with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) during that 16-game stretch.
On the season, Tage Thompson leads Buffalo with 72 points (44 goals, 28 assists).
James Reimer allowed seven Lightning goals on 31 shots Sunday, though the goalie received little help from his defense. Given Buffalo’s usual goaltending rotation, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will likely start Tuesday.
Since Joseph Woll started in Carolina, Anthony Stolarz will likely be Toronto’s starting goalie in Buffalo. Stolarz is 7-0-0 with a .941 save percentage and a 1.56 goals-against average over his last seven games.
The Maple Leafs won both prior meetings with the Sabres this season on Dec. 15 and Dec. 20.
