OTP - Sabres Suffering From Defensive Gaffes And Lack Of Discipline 12/20/24 at 7:00 pm at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY Record Buffalo – 11-17-4 | 26 points – 8th place in the Atlantic Division Toronto – 20-10-2 | 42 points – 1st place in the Atlantic Division Special Teams Buffalo Power Play – 13.8% (30th) Penalty Kill – 77.4% (22nd) Toronto Power Play – 19.6% (20th) Penalty Kill - 82.7% (7th) Top Scorers Buffalo Tage Thompson: 27 GP, 16 G, 9 A, 25 PTS Alex Tuch: 32 GP, 9 G, 16 A, 25 PTS JJ Peterka: 30 GP, 8 G, 13 A, 21 PTS Toronto Mitch Marner: 32 GP, 10 G, 32 A, 42 PTS William Nylander: 32 GP, 20 G, 13 A, 33 PTS John Tavares: 31 GP, 15 G, 14 A, 29 PTS Starting Goalies Buffalo – Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (8-10-3, 3.00 GAA, .896 save %) Toronto – Matt Murray (0-0-0, 0.00 GAA, .000 save %) Line Combinations and Pairings Buffalo Forwards Jason Zucker – Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch JJ Peterka - Dylan Cozens - Jack Quinn Peyton Krebs - Jiri Kulich - Zach Benson Beck Malenstyn - Sam Lafferty - Nicolas Aube-Kubel Ex. Ryan McLeod Defense Rasmus Dahlin - Bowen Byram Mattias Samuelsson - Owen Power Dennis Gilbert - Connor Clifton Ex. Jacob Bryson, Henri Jokiharju Goaltenders Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen James Reimer Injuries Jordan Greenway (out - middle body) Notes Buffalo’s 123 victories over Toronto all-time are the third-most against any single team in franchise history. The Sabres have only defeated the Boston Bruins (128 wins) and the Montreal Canadiens (136) more times than they have beaten the Maple Leafs. Tage Thompson has tallied seven points (5+2) in his last eight games, including one goal in each of his last two home games. A goal in tonight’s game would give Thompson his third three-game goal streak at home. Thompson is expected to play in his 400th NHL game tonight. Dating back to the beginning of the 2021-22 season, Thompson has 13 points (6+7) in 12 games against Toronto and has posted eight points (3+5) in his last five home games against the Maple Leafs. Owen Power has notched at least one point in three consecutive home contests (1+3). In his last four games, JJ Peterka has recorded four assists, including at least one in each of his last two games. Peterka has tallied seven points (1+6) in his last six games against Toronto, including two multi-assist performances (Dec. 15, 2024, 0+2; March 13, 2023, 0+2) in that span. Peyton Krebs has tallied three assists in his last two home games, including at least one in each of those games. Alex Tuch has registered 14 points (7+7) in his last nine games against Toronto, including six points (1+5) in his last three home games against Toronto. Jack Quinn has scored five goals in his last five games against the Maple Leafs. Quinn has recorded six points (5+1) in six career games against Toronto. Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo [https://twitter.com/MikeInBuffalo]
