Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres Prediction, NHL Odds
The Sabres are -235 favourites on the NHL odds with a total of 6.5 goals.
Maple Leafs vs. Sabres NHL Betting Odds
Toronto has the longest active playoff streak in the NHL at nine straight seasons. Buffalo has the longest active streak of missing the playoffs at 14 straight seasons. Both those will end come April.
At this point, it benefits the spiraling Maple Leafs to keep losing and improve their 2026 NHL Draft lottery odds, with the big prize at No. 1 overall likely being Penn State forward Gavin McKenna.
The Sabres are battling Tampa Bay for the Atlantic Division title and Carolina for the top overall seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Sabres are +130 to win their first division title since 2010, and Lindy Ruff is the -280 favourite for the Jack Adams Award as NHL Coach of the Year. Ruff deserves it. He also won the award in the 2005-06 campaign in his first stint with the franchise.
Saturday concludes the season series with the Sabres leading 2-1. They prevailed 5-3 on Oct. 24 in the lone game in Buffalo. Blueliner and former No. 1 overall pick Rasmus Dahlin (3G, 4A) leads the Sabres with seven points in the series. Three different goaltenders have seen action. Auston Matthews (2G, 3A) leads Toronto with five points in the series. The Leafs also used three different goaltenders and only Cayden Primeau won.
Toronto is 6-4 in the past 10 meetings overall, and the over-under is 7-3 with all three this season landing
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 6-4 home win over Anaheim on Thursday but captain Auston Matthews had to leave in the second period injured. He crumpled to the ice when he tried to sidestep a hit in the slot and took a knee-on-knee hit from Anaheim’s Radko Gudas, who was assessed a major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct. Matthews did have a second-period goal to pass Borje Salming (398) for the fifth-most home points in Maple Leafs history. Gudas, incidentally, is a bruising Czech blueliner who ended Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby’s Olympics in the quarterfinals with a hit. John Tavares had a power-play goal in the win, becoming became the fifth player in franchise history with 80 career power-play goals. Mats Sundin holds the record of 124 with Matthews third at 109.
Matthew Knies was the No. 1 star in the win with a goal and three helpers, his second career four-point game. Dating to last season, only William Nylander (twice) also has had multiple such games on the team. Joseph Woll made 36 saves in Thursday’s win and likely starts again Saturday. He is 6-7-2 with a 2.99 GAA on the road. The Leafs have lost their past five away.
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo’s NHL-best eight-game winning streak was snapped in a 2-1 home loss to Washington on Thursday. Really one of those strange results as the Sabres outshot the Capitals 30-22, outhit them 24-22 and dominated in the face-off circle (60.0 per cent). Washington scored the winner at 18:29 of the third. Sam Carrick opened the scoring for the Sabres, who had been 22-2-0 since Dec. 9 when scoring first. Buffalo had scored two or more goals in 18 straight games entering. To be fair, winger Alex Tuch (28G, 29A) was a surprise scratch with an upper-body injury. He’s day-to-day. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen suffered his first regulation loss since Jan. 19. It should be Alex Lyon’s turn Saturday. He has won four straight starts overall and is 9-5-2 with a 2.75 GAA at home this season. The over is 13-3 in the Sabres’ past 16 at home vs. Toronto.
