The Buffalo Sabres are back on the ice Friday night in their first of two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs this weekend. They will be looking to extend their home win streak to four games after a big win over the Detroit Red Wings and will do so in the red and black for the first time this season.
It hasn't been much of a rivalry recently between the Sabres and Maple Leafs as Toronto has won the last four meetings in regulation, dating back to the 2023-24 season. The Sabres have been outscored during that stretch by a combined score of 18-6.
This game, though, has the chance to be much more competitive as the Sabres are playing better hockey as of late, and the Maple Leafs are struggling after losing their last two games.
3 Buffalo Sabres to watch against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night
Alex Lyon
One of the most discussed topics around the Buffalo Sabres has been the goaltender position, as it has been a pleasant surprise to start the season. Alex Lyon has been incredible in net with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen injured, and Colten Ellis had a brilliant debut on Wednesday after the Detroit Red Wings.
Luukkonen is now back with the Sabres and appears close to his return after being recalled from Rochester, which creates a crowded position for Buffalo. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but for the time being, it looks like the plan is to move forward with all three on the roster.
First up will be Lyon, who looks to be in line to start tonight for Buffalo. He has certainly been tested as he is second in shot attempts at 198, only four behind Juuse Saros with Nashville, but Saros has played in one more game than Lyon.
It could be another busy night for Lyon as the Maple Leafs rank 10th in goals scored per game at 3.43 and 11th in shooting percentage at 12.2%. However, another strong performance will just solidify his case to be the starter moving forward.
Jack Quinn
Jack Quinn has had an impressive stretch of games as of late, with six points in the past four games. The game against the Red Wings was easily the best of the season, registering one goal and two assists. The former first-round pick now leads the team in Points Per 60 Minutes with 2.82, according to MoneyPuck.
This season was expected to be a pivotal one for Quinn as he hasn't really produced like many expected with only 95 points in 176 games. However, if he can continue to play at this level, it is going to be a huge boost to a forward group that needs production outside of Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch.
Tage Thompson
The final player to watch for this game is, in fact, Tage Thompson, who has gotten off to a very slow start to the season. He has only one goal through the first seven games of the season and has not scored in the last four games.
It doesn't necessarily seem like Thompson is playing badly, but might just be more bad luck than anything. This season, Thompson has an Expected Goal Per 60 Minute average of 1.17, which is actually higher than the past two seasons, when he averaged 1.03 last season and 1.13 the season prior to that, according to MoneyPuck.
For Tage Thompson, the chances have been there and it just feels like it is a matter of time. The Buffalo Sabres would love to see that breakthrough happen against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night.