Count on Matthews igniting Toronto's offense against Buffalo. Can he overcome recent struggles and power the Leafs to a crucial victory?
Friday caps off the week with a packed slate of four NHL games that should feature some must-see moments with the most notable matchup being a bitter rivalry game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres. Both teams have struggled to start the season with three wins and .500 records but recent trends may suggest we get an upset in this spot.
The Buds have been struggling to find their identity this season as they are without superstar Mitch Marner and have been unable to find their offensive footing. The Sabres on the other hand, have won three of their last four games heading into Friday and are coming off a dominant 7-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, who beat the Maple Leafs twice earlier this season. It could mean a turning of the tide in the Battle of the QEW if Buffalo could get a massive upset win after losing to the Maple Leafs in five straight matchups.
The clash should present plenty of betting opportunities and promises excitement across the league. We’re looking to build on our early-season momentum and continue the strong player prop success that fueled last year’s run with Mitch Marner, Mark Scheifele, Wyatt Johnston, Rasmus Dahlin, Teuvo Teravainen and Connor Hellebuyck.
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Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres Best Bets:
Leafs ML (-125)
Under 6.5 Goals (-125)
Auston Matthews anytime goal (+110)
Auston Matthews Over 1.5 Points (+170)
As much as it would be fun to see the Sabres pull off an upset win, it's difficult to win both legs of a back-to-back especially with how much offense they deployed on Thursday in their 7-2 victory. The Maple Leafs are desperately looking for a bump in the right direction after dropping two straight and will enter this contest with far more confidence knowing they can beat their opponent and have consistently in every matchup since December of 2023.
It's been an oddly quiet start to the season for Toronto's captain Auston Matthews and a game versus the Sabres is exactly what he needed as the Arizona native thrives in this matchup. With nine goals and four assists for 13 points, including a hat trick in one game, over his last eight games versus Buffalo, Matthews should be able to add to his four goals in seven games so far this season.
The Sabres will likely have their offensive bubble burst from their output on Thursday and have a recent history of struggling to score against the Maple Leafs teams that have become more defensively sound in recent years with one or fewer goals scored by Buffalo in three of their last five matchups. While everyone expects this rivalry game to go over, we look for a much better effort out of Toronto's backend while the Sabres will have few answers.
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