Buffalo Sabres: 3 positive takeaways against Toronto
By Sion Fawkes
Your 2021-22 Buffalo Sabres turned something positive into the norm: Routinely blowing out a tough Toronto Maple Leafs team
The Buffalo Sabres looked good in most facets of the game last night against their heated rival. It started when debuting defenseman Owen Power disrupted an exchange between Mark Giordano and Austin Matthews. And it ended with an exclamation point when Rasmus Asplund scored on an empty-netter.
While the Sabres still looked beyond bad in some categories (face-offs, anyone?) they excelled in others. This team was far more physical last night against their heated rival than they have been in the past week, where teams like the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers out muscled them.
The Sabres gave themselves plenty of opportunities last Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Unfortunately for them, they could not capitalize on those chances and ended up losing big. That wasn’t the case versus Toronto, where the Sabres once again enjoyed a high shooting percentage. Something they have become accustomed to in most recent games.
Finally, the Sabres accomplished something most NHL teams could not: They are routinely stifling Auston Matthews. Matthews, who has 58 goals and 99 points this season, had a tough time getting anything going. And the Sabres proved twice this season that if you stop Matthews, you can stop the Maple Leafs.
Now the burning question remains: Can the Buffalo Sabres apply their success against Toronto against other playoff-caliber hockey teams?
While this season is pretty much over, the Sabres can apply the following takeaways that gave them three wins against Toronto to the league’s other 31 teams come October 2022. Here are the three takeaways described in greater depth.