Despite some bursts of passion, Maple Leafs lose in shootout to Sabres

The Sabres outworked, outshot, and outmatched the Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center, winning the battle of the QEW 3-2 in a shootout. You can tell there’s a different feel to this rivalry nowadays, as there wasn’t nearly as many Leaf fans in Buffalo than you’d normally see throughout the last decade.

What really stood out in this game was just how inconsistent the Maple Leafs are shift to shift. On some shifts they were banging and crashing, and using their speed and physicality to create space and opportunity. The overshadowing storyline was the fact this team is littered with the inability to sustain the needed pressure to create, and build off positive momentum. Defensive breakdowns are way too frequent. Brandon Carlo was puck watching in front of his own net, while a one-handed pass from behind the net winds up in the slot. Carlo was late to close the gap, and Owen Power took advantage to open the scoring.

On a positive note, Dakota Joshua brought the passion against the Sabres. Not only did he score in the first period to tie the game 1-1, soon after, Joshua came off the bench and immediately dropped the gloves with Sabres defenceman Luke Schenn. It was a spirited bout that left Schenn bloodied, as Joshua needs to bring much of the same down the stretch of this season, or else he could be one of the many pieces that change throughout the upcoming offseason. Joshua finished the night playing 11:58, landing a team-leading six hits.

Easton Cowan and William Nylander created a ton of chances and continued their recent strong play. Nylander used a slick feed on a delayed two-on-one to set up Max Domi for a tap in to give Toronto a 2-1 lead in the second. As for Cowan, he’s looking more and more comfortable with the puck on his stick down low, and used his speed to create separation numerous times throughout the game.