The Buffalo Sabres entered this game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on a bit of a hot streak, but it was the Maple Leafs, who they have struggled against. The Maple Leafs had won five straight against Buffalo, dating back to the 2023-24 season, but that streak came to an end Friday night with a 5-3 win by the Sabres.
The team got great efforts from a number of players but these were three players in particular that really stood out and were the deciding factor in the outcome of the game.
Mattias Samuelsson
Mattias Samuelsson had an unexpected performance against the Maple Leafs with not just one but two goals on Friday night. Entering this game, Samuelsson had only seven career goals and had never had a multi-goal game in the NHL.
This is just another strong performance from Samuelsson, who has been playing much better this season. He is one that fans were questioning entering this season, and looked like a potential weak point for this defense. However, with Michael Kesslering out due to injury, Samuelsson has been able to provide quality minutes on that second line with Connor Timmins.
Tage Thompson
Tage Thompson had only one goal this season entering the game against the Maple Leafs, but it didn't feel like he was playing bad hockey. It felt more like it was just bad luck, and at some point, the goals would start coming.
On Friday night, he ended his goalless streak at four games after delivering a goal in the second period off a great pass by Bowen Byram. He also made a great play in the first period with a pass to Jiri Kulich for a goal.
The Sabres have gotten great production from their depth so far this season and if they continue to get that, and Thompson starts to find the scoring touch, this offense is going to be tough to beat.
Alex Tuch
The discussions around Alex Tuch for most of the season have been about off-the-ice stuff and whether he will extend his contract. He started the season very slowly but has turned a corner over the past five games with six points over that stretch.
In the game against the Maple Leafs, he made a huge play in the third period when the Sabres needed it most. Late in the third period, Toronto went on the power play after Rasmus Dahlin was called for delay of game.
At this point, the Sabres had only a one-goal lead, and the Maple Leafs were putting pressure on Buffalo. Alex Lyon just made a huge save, and Owen Power was able to get the puck out of the zone quickly. As he brought it up the ice, he found Tuch driving to the net, who was able to beat Anthony Stolarz for the deciding goal.
In addition to the goal, Tuch showed why he is one of the better two-way forwards as he made a number of plays in the defensive zone and led all Sabres in penalty kill time with 3:25. These are the things that make Tuch special and why the Sabres can't afford not to extend him before he reaches free agency.