Maple Leafs Look to Snap Three-Game Winless Skid as They Host Sabres, Lineups, Where to Watch
Max Lajoie will make his Toronto Maple Leafs debut as the club calls up two defenseman in the wake of Timothy Liljegren's long-term injury.
Max Lajoie will make his Toronto Maple Leafs debut when the club hosts the Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.
The Maple Leafs called up the defenseman along with Simon Benoit and placed Timothy Liljegren on long-term injured reserve.
Liljegren was tripped by Boston Bruins' forward Brad Marchand and sustained a high-ankle sprain in Toronto's 3-2 shootout loss on Thursday.
The Leafs signed Lajoie to a one-year, two-way contract on July 1. The 25-year-old Lajoie had 11 goals, 34 assists in 63 games with the Chicago Wolves last season. He has suited up in 70 regular-season NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators over the last four season.
In seven games with the Marlies this season, Lajoie has no points and is a minus-1.
Bertuzzi back on the second line
Toronto's biggest free agent signing of this past summer continues difficulties in fitting into the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup.
In the third period of Thursday's game, Tyler Bertuzzi was moved out of the top-six position and moved to the fourth line to skate with Ryan Reaves and Pontus Holmberg.
"He just needs to simplify his game," Maple Leafs head coach said of Bertuzzi after the game. "Today we had a very simple plan and he failed to execute that, so other guys had to take his place."
Bertuzzi found himself back on the second line during the morning skate as the Leafs will role with the same formation that opened their game against the Bruins.
Signed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal this summer, Bertuzzi began the season on the first line alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. After failing to get the offense going, Bertuzzi moved into a second-line role with John Tavares and William Nylander.
Bertuzzi logged a season-low 11:32 against the Bruins.
After Ilya Samsonov had his best start of the season, Joseph Woll will get the net back against the Sabres.
Woll is 3-2-0 this season with a .932 save percentage this season.
The Sabres will be looking to erase one of their worst performances of the season after losing to the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 in Buffalo on Friday.
"They outworked and that's not something that we're going to take lightly and that's not something that you should ever be saying after this," Sabres captain Kyle Okposo told the Buffalo News' Mike Harrington after the game.
Where to watch
In Canada, the game will be broadcast and streamed on CBC and Sportsnet.
In the Buffalo area, the game will be on MSG/MSG+. For the rest of the United States, the game will be streamed on ESPN+
Worldwide, the game will be streamed on NHL Live.
Broadcasts start at 7 p.m. ET.
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