Normally, it's the Buffalo Sabres who are being written off before the calendar even flips to February, but on Tuesday night they were the ones pushing another team's season to the brink. In fact, one popular writer believes they drove a stake into the heart of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2025-26 season.
Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun argued the Leafs' current eight-point deficit in the Eastern Conference playoff race "seems like a million points to make up between now and April."
"The sad ending to the most pathetic Maple Leafs season in more than a decade became unofficial but apparent late on a Tuesday evening in Toronto," Simmons wrote. "It is over for the Leafs. This season. The hope. The belief that something good might happen to a club that has tripped over itself all season long."
From a Sabres perspective, it's hard to imagine how much has changed in a relatively short time.
Buffalo woke up on the morning of Dec. 9 as owners of last place in the East and six points behind Toronto in the crowded standings. Then the Blue and Gold suddenly became the NHL's hottest team, posting a 19-3-1 record over their past 23 games.
Now the Sabres occupy third place in the Atlantic Division with 65 points and they're closer to the conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning (70 points) than the fading Leafs (57 points).
"It's a tough one to explain," Leafs center John Tavares told reporters. "Once again, I don't think we executed as well. They seem to be really quick and just getting to their game better than we did."
While Toronto is left searching for answers that may never arrive, Buffalo is confident in the hardworking style of hockey its been playing for the past two months.
"We just keep going to work," Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson said. "I think we have a pretty talented group that can score goals, so just stick with the game plan. Keep hunting pucks, keep getting after the other team, and good things will come. I don't think there's really much panic in this room."
It's a tale of two teams moving rapidly in different directions, much to the dismay of Leafs fans.
Meanwhile, let's hop into the latest edition of our Sabres player grades series after Buffalo captain Rasmus Dahlin stole the spotlight with five points in the 7-4 victory.
Buffalo Sabres overwhelm struggling Toronto Maple Leafs to secure crucial Jan. 27 win
Sabres player grades
Player | Grade (1-10) |
|---|---|
Rasmus Dahlin | 10 |
Josh Doan | 9 |
Mattias Samuelsson | 8.5 |
Tage Thompson | 8 |
Alex Tuch | 8 |
Michael Kesselring | 7.5 |
Noah Ostlund | 7 |
Ryan McLeod | 7 |
Jack Quinn | 7 |
Konsta Helenius | 6.5 |
Zach Benson | 6 |
Peyton Krebs | 6 |
Zach Metsa | 5.5 |
Colten Ellis | 5.5 |
Jason Zucker | 5 |
Bowen Byram | 4.5 |
Owen Power | 4.5 |
Beck Malenstyn | 3.5 |
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen | 3 |
Tyson Kozak | 3 |
Buffalo Player of the Game: Rasmus Dahlin
Dahlin entered the season with Norris Trophy expectations saddled on his shoulders. The 25-year-old Sabres captain got off to an uncharacteristically slow start, which was understandable as he navigated tragedy in his personal life.
Now, as the All-Star defenseman gets ready to represent his native Sweden in the 2026 Winter Olympics, he's starting to play his best hockey.
Dahlin racked up a handful of points, a hat trick and two assists, against the Leafs. He also tallied seven shots on goal and a blocked shot while playing over 26 minutes. When he's getting involved in all three zones like he was on Tuesday night, there are few defenders in the league who make a bigger impact on the game's outcome.
"Obviously what he's going through personally, I can't even imagine," Sabres star Tage Thompson said. "The fact that he's here playing hockey and competing for us means the world to us and I think that just speaks to his character. How much he loves the team, how much he wants to win. And he's not just playing, he's leading by example. I can't say enough good things about him and obviously the mental strength you have to have to be able to do what he's doing is pretty impressive."
Samuelsson added: "Just an impressive human being."
Dahlin is up to 42 points (11 goals and 31 helpers) across 48 appearances this season. He also moved past 400 career points in Buffalo's tremendous offensive performance against Toronto.
Sabres quick hits
- Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen left the game in the first period with an injury. The Sabres expect to receive further word about his status on Wednesday. It'd be an ill-timed setback for UPL if he's forced to miss time since he was making a case to serve as Finland's starting goalie in the Olympics.
- Jordan Greenway was held out of the lineup for a lingering injury, and it's hard to make an argument he's one of Buffalo's 12 best forwards right now, even if he was available.
- Samuelsson had three assists as his breakout offensive year (31 points in 50 games) continues. He'd registered 43 points in 212 contests across his first five NHL seasons.
- Michael Kesselring keeps making clear on-ice progress as he attempts to put his own injury issues firmly in the rearview mirror.
- Colten Ellis performed admirably in relief of Luukkonen.
- The Sabres (30-17-5) return home to the KeyBank Center on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET) for a clash with the Los Angeles Kings (22-16-13) in downtown Buffalo.