Leafs and Sabres come out even, split weekend home and home series
The Toronto Maple Leafs got their revenge on the Buffalo Sabres, winning 4-2 the night after the team lost 3-1 to the Sabres in Buffalo.
Saturday night’s game also saw the new Leafs’ acquisition, Peter Holland, taking the spot of the injured Tyler Bozak. Holland slotted in between James van Riemsdyk and Phil Kessel.
This move freed up JVR to return to his more familiar position, left wing. The move immediately provided dividends, when JVR tipped two shots past Jonas Enroth. Cody Franson, who leads the team with 12 assists, fired both shots.
The Leafs ended the period with a 2-0 lead and the second period featured a fight between David Clarkson and Steve Ott, Buffalo’s captain.
(Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images)
The second period also saw Leafs’ player Nikolai Kulemin remove the monkey from his back, launching his first goal of the beat past Enroth. Kulemin has only gotten two shots in his past seven games.
The second period ended with the Leafs leading the Sabres 3-0.
The Leafs, with the three goal lead, started the third playing a defensive-first game, but shortly into the third period Jamie McBain shot a cannon of a slap shot past James Reimer to cut the lead to two.
Four minutes later, Tyler Ennis scored a power-play goal to make it a one-goal game. The Sabres found their legs and pressed the Leafs, outshooting the team 17-5.
In the end though, the Leafs got onto a powerplay following a trip by Ville Leino. The puck found Mason Raymond who took a shot that ramped up the stick of Tyler Myers and into the net.
With a 4-2 lead, the Leafs finished the game with their first regulation victory since Ovt. 30 when the team beat the Calgary Flames 4-2.
Reimer made 33 saves for a .943 save percentage, putting him at .942 for the season.
The Leafs next game is against the New York Islanders on Nov. 19 in Toronto. The game will begin at 7 p.m. ET. It will be the first time the teams meet this season.
Nick Fearns
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