Another crack at the Boston Bruins on Monday led to more disappointment for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 4-1 defeat left people with more questions than satisfying answers, but luckily they get to rebound on Wednesday against one of the NHL’s underperforming sides. The Sabres will be in town following a 5-2 loss at home to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.

As per NHL odds the Leafs are pegged as moneyline favourites, priced at -190.

Sabres vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds

Further to what we wrote in our intro, Toronto will certainly hope that playing Buffalo proves simpler than contending with Boston because the Sabres have rattled three wins in a row against the Leafs. The latter two were earlier this season and the New York state ensemble produced 15 total goals courtesy of 6-4 and 9-3 victories.

Despite what we’ve said regarding the Sabres’ season, which may conclude with another miss at the playoff, they have shown spunk. Look no further than recent victories over the Lightning and Golden Knights, the latter stamped with an impressive 7-2 final. Before Sunday’s loss versus Winnipeg, Buffalo had won five of six. They had also covered four spreads in a row, improving their tally on the season to 33-29.

It almost seems unfair that Toronto is 22-37 against the puckline. Since last week they were apparently supposed to defeat Vegas, the New York Rangers, and Boston by at least two goals. That’s a lot easier said than done. What’s perhaps more genuinely concerning is the decent if unspectacular home tally of 17-12-2. Only the Leafs and Flyers are sitting in playoff spots with more than 10 regulation defeats at home.

Buffalo Sabres

Whether it was a case of all good things coming to an end or the Winnipeg Jets simply outwitting the Sabres, the 5-2 defeat exemplified both the good and the bad about Buffalo.

The hosts had played excellent hockey, with aforementioned success against strong sides like Tampa Bay and Vegas. Things got underway in promising fashion versus Winnipeg too. Buffalo scored one of the slickest goals of the season in the first period via wonderful one-touch passing on the power play, with JJ Peterka (20^th) putting the puck away. That the Jets levelled shortly after didn’t dampen Buffalo’s spirits. Eric Robinson (third) helped his side regain the lead in the second. Disaster struck midway through the final frame, however. Costly mistakes and bad shift management resulted in four unanswered goals by the visitors. That’s basically the knock on the Sabres. When it rains, it pours.

Jeff Skinner and Alex Tuch have enjoyed playing the Leafs this season, with three and two goals, respectively.

Toronto Maple Leafs

On the one hand, there’s little shame in falling to the Boston Bruins. The latter is an excellent hockey club. On the other hand, sooner or later the Maple Leafs have to find a way to exorcise the demons that are the scary bears from Beantown.

No matter the circumstances, no matter the lineups, no matter which way momentum has previously swung, Boston finds a way to out-duel Toronto. This might have been one of the more disappointing efforts by Sheldon Keefe’s ensemble. It rarely looked as if the Leafs were up to par against the Bruins. Lax defending allowed the Bruins the score twice in the first period and then again in the second, putting the hosts in a 3-0 hole. Blaming G Joseph Woll would be harsh. John Tavares (19^th) eventually broke through with a fine wrister in the third, but that was all she wrote for the Maple Leafs on Monday.

Auston Matthews went pointless despite five shots on target. Bobby McMann also pounded Boston’s net with a quintet of tries.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Sabres vs. Maple Leafs?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Sabres Team Leaders

BUF

Points	Rasmus Dahlin 59
+ / -	Henri Jokiharju 14
Shots	Tage Thompson 246
Penalty Mins	Connor Clifton 68
Wins	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 27
GAA	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 2.57

TOR

Points	Auston Matthews 107
+ / -	Auston Matthews 31
Shots	Auston Matthews 369
Penalty Mins	Max Domi 118
Wins	Ilya Samsonov 23
GAA	Martin Jones 2.87

BUF

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

TOR

Points	Max Domi 4
+ / -	Ilya Lyubushkin 4
Shots	John Tavares 22
Penalty Mins	Max Domi 6
Wins	Joseph Woll 2
GAA	Joseph Woll 0.86

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Maple Leafs Team Leaders

BUF

Points	Rasmus Dahlin 59
+ / -	Henri Jokiharju 14
Shots	Tage Thompson 246
Penalty Mins	Connor Clifton 68
Wins	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 27
GAA	Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 2.57

TOR

Points	Auston Matthews 107
+ / -	Auston Matthews 31
Shots	Auston Matthews 369
Penalty Mins	Max Domi 118
Wins	Ilya Samsonov 23
GAA	Martin Jones 2.87

BUF

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

TOR

Points	Max Domi 4
+ / -	Ilya Lyubushkin 4
Shots	John Tavares 22
Penalty Mins	Max Domi 6
Wins	Joseph Woll 2
GAA	Joseph Woll 0.86

Injuries

Buffalo

Mattias Samuelsson (D)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 16 / 04 / 24

Tyson Jost (C)

Ques Sat Undisclosed - 12 / 04 / 24

Bowen Byram (D)

Ques Sat Personal - 11 / 04 / 24

Jacob Bryson (D)

Prob Tues Upper Body - 07 / 04 / 24

Zemgus Girgensons (LW)

Prob Tues Illness - 07 / 04 / 24

Jordan Greenway (LW)

Prob Sun Upper Body - 01 / 04 / 24

Jordan Greenway (LW)

Prob Fri Undisclosed - 28 / 03 / 24

Lukas Rousek (RW)

Prob Tues Face - 26 / 03 / 24

Tyson Jost (C)

Prob Fri Undisclosed - 24 / 03 / 24

Tyson Jost (C)

Ques Sat Knee - 14 / 03 / 24

Toronto

Ilya Lyubushkin (D)

Prob Sat Personal - 26 / 04 / 24

Max Domi (C)

Prob Sat Undisclosed - 15 / 04 / 24

Bobby McMann (C)

Out Sat Lower Body - 13 / 04 / 24

Joel Edmundson (D)

Ques Tues Undisclosed - 13 / 04 / 24

Max Domi (C)

Prob Sat Undisclosed - 12 / 04 / 24

Timothy Liljegren (D)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 28 / 03 / 24

Joel Edmundson (D)

Prob Thurs Undisclosed - 26 / 03 / 24

Ilya Samsonov (G)

Ques Thurs Lower Body - 23 / 03 / 24

Tyler Bertuzzi (LW)

Prob Sun Illness - 22 / 03 / 24

Ryan Reaves (RW)

Ques Sat Undisclosed - 20 / 03 / 24

Injuries

Buffalo

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Mattias Samuelsson (D)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 16 / 04 / 24	0-0	0-0	+ -
Samuelsson has landed on the injured reserve list with an upper-body injury, and it is unknown when he will return to action.
Tyson Jost (C)	Ques Sat	Undisclosed - 12 / 04 / 24	2-0	0-1-1	+ -
Jost was removed from the previous contest with an unknown ailment, and it remains to be seen if he will suit up Saturday against the Panthers.
Bowen Byram (D)	Ques Sat	Personal - 11 / 04 / 24	3-0	0-2-1	+ -
Byram missed the last game due to a personal matter, and it is unknown if he will take on the Panthers in Saturday's showdown.
Jacob Bryson (D)	Prob Tues	Upper Body - 07 / 04 / 24	4-1	0-3-2	+ -
Bryson exited the last contest with an upper-body injury, but it is expected that he will be available for Tuesday's matchup versus the Stars.
Zemgus Girgensons (LW)	Prob Tues	Illness - 07 / 04 / 24	4-1	0-3-2	+ -
Girgensons was absent from the previous game due to an illness, but it is likely that he will play against the Stars on Tuesday.
Jordan Greenway (LW)	Prob Sun	Upper Body - 01 / 04 / 24	5-2	1-4-2	+ -
Greenway has been absent from the last two matches due to an upper-body ailment, but it will not affect his status for Sunday's battle with the Red Wings.
Jordan Greenway (LW)	Prob Fri	Undisclosed - 28 / 03 / 24	6-3	3-4-2	+ -
Greenway is dealing with an unknown ailment, but it is expected that he will face the Devils on Friday.
Lukas Rousek (RW)	Prob Tues	Face - 26 / 03 / 24	7-3	3-5-2	+ -
Rousek has missed the last three contests with a facial injury, but it is forecasted that he will face the Capitals on Tuesday.
Tyson Jost (C)	Prob Fri	Undisclosed - 24 / 03 / 24	7-4	4-5-2	+ -
Jost has been absent from the previous two games with an unspecified issue, but it is forecasted that he will lace up for Friday's showdown against the Devils.
Tyson Jost (C)	Ques Sat	Knee - 14 / 03 / 24	11-5	6-8-2	+ -
Jost exited the last game with a knee injury, and it is unclear if he will participate in Saturday's battle with the Red Wings.

Toronto

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Ilya Lyubushkin (D)	Prob Sat	Personal - 26 / 04 / 24	1-3	0-3-1	+ -
Lyubushkin is dealing with a personal matter, but it is not expected to impact his availability versus the Bruins in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Max Domi (C)	Prob Sat	Undisclosed - 15 / 04 / 24	2-7	4-4-1	+ -
Domi is dealing with an unknown issue, but it is forecasted that he will dress for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round versus the Bruins.
Bobby McMann (C)	Out Sat	Lower Body - 13 / 04 / 24	2-8	5-4-1	+ -
McMann is hampered by a lower-body injury, and he will not suit up against the Bruins for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Joel Edmundson (D)	Ques Tues	Undisclosed - 13 / 04 / 24	2-8	5-4-1	+ -
Edmundson was absent from the last match with an unspecified injury, and it has yet to be established if he will suit up Tuesday against the Panthers.
Max Domi (C)	Prob Sat	Undisclosed - 12 / 04 / 24	2-8	5-4-1	+ -
Domi is dealing with an unknown ailment, but it is not expected to impact his status for Saturday's battle against the Red Wings.
Timothy Liljegren (D)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 28 / 03 / 24	7-11	8-8-2	+ -
Liljegren is sidelined with an upper-body injury, and the severity of the ailment is unknown.
Joel Edmundson (D)	Prob Thurs	Undisclosed - 26 / 03 / 24	8-11	8-9-2	+ -
Edmundson has been idle with an unspecified ailment, but he is likely to return Thursday against the Devils.
Ilya Samsonov (G)	Ques Thurs	Lower Body - 23 / 03 / 24	10-11	10-9-2	+ -
Samsonov has been absent from the last two contests with a lower-body injury, and it remains to be seen if he will face the Capitals on Thursday.
Tyler Bertuzzi (LW)	Prob Sun	Illness - 22 / 03 / 24	10-11	10-9-2	+ -
Bertuzzi missed the last game with an illness, but it is projected that he will be in Sunday's lineup versus the Hurricanes.
Ryan Reaves (RW)	Ques Sat	Undisclosed - 20 / 03 / 24	10-12	11-9-2	+ -
Reaves was absent from the last match with an unknown injury, and it remains to be seen if he will face the Oilers on Saturday.