BUFFALO SABRES (16-12-7 – 39 Points) vs.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (17-14-4 – 38 Points)
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2019
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | FINAL | |
| BUFFALO | 0 | 0 | 3 | – | 3 |
| TORONTO | 1 | 2 | 2 | – | 5 |
GAME SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY | FACEOFF SUMMARY
ON THE SCORESHEET
- Frederik Gauthier opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs at 2:30 of the first period and later collected the secondary assist on Dmytro Timashov’s third period goal. Gauthier has goals (2) and points (2-1-3) in two consecutive games. Four (2-2-4) of his seven points this season have come against Atlantic Division teams. He has four career points (2 goals, 2 assists) against the Sabres, which is his highest point total against a single opponent.
- Auston Matthews scored Toronto’s second goal of the night at 4:47 of the second period before adding the third Maple Leafs goal of the game at 17:39 of the second period. Tonight’s game is Matthews’ fifth multi-goal and 11th multi-point performance of the season. His goals stand as the 131st and 132nd of Matthews’ career, which moves past Doug Gilmour and Nick Metz for sole possession of 32nd on the Maple Leafs’ all-time goal register. Matthews’ first goal in tonight’s game was his 20th of the season, which makes him the second player in franchise history (Dave Keon – 1960-61 to 1965-66) to begin his career with four consecutive 20-goal season, per NHL Stats.
- Dmytro Timashov scored the fourth Toronto goal of the night at 4:58 of the third period. Timashov has points (1-1-2) in two consecutive games. He has seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 10 games against Atlantic Division opposition this season.
- Ilya Mikheyev scored the Maple Leafs’ fifth goal of the game into an empty net while shorthanded at 17:26 of the third period. Mikheyev has goals (2) in two consecutive games. His goal tonight is his first career shorthanded goal and the fifth shorthanded goal scored by the Maple Leafs in 2019-20.
- Morgan Rielly registered the primary assist on Matthews’ first second period goal. Rielly has assists (2) in two consecutive games. His second period assist stands as his 20th assist of the season, giving him 20 assists in seven consecutive seasons to begin his NHL career. Per NHL Stats, Rielly is the second Maple Leafs defenceman (Borje Salming – 1973-74 to 1984-85) to begin his career with seven consecutive 20-assist seasons. He is tied for third among NHL defencemen in even-strength assists (14).
- Mitch Marner collected the secondary assist on Matthews’ first second period goal. Marner has points (2-6-8) in five consecutive games. He has registered 13 of his 20 assists on home ice this season. Marner has seven assists in eight games against Atlantic Division teams.
- William Nylander recorded the primary assist on Matthews’ second goal in the second period. He is tied for second on the Maple Leafs in primary assists (9). Nylander has 14 points (6-8-14) in 16 games on home ice this season. His 13 career points (4 goals, 9 assists) against the Sabres is his highest point total against a single opponent.
- Tyson Barrie had the secondary assist on Matthews’ second goal in the second period and later had the primary assist on Timashov’s third period goal. Tonight’s game is his third multi-assist and fifth multi-point performance of the season. Barrie ranks second among Maple Leafs defencemen in assists (12). He has three assists over his last three games.
- Frederik Andersen stopped 27 shots to earn his 17th win of the season.
SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | OT | TOTAL | |
| BUFFALO | 5 (5) | 10 (10) | 15 (11) | – | 30 (26) |
| TORONTO | 11 (11) | 13 (9) | 9 (8) | – | 33 (28) |
SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | OT | TOTAL | |
| BUFFALO | 14 (14) | 19 (19) | 21 (16) | – | 54 (49) |
| TORONTO | 21 (21) | 19 (14) | 15 (13) | – | 55 (48) |
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
| Record at Home | 8-4-4 (16 Games) |
| All-Time Record vs. Buffalo | 83-105-18-11 (217 Games) |
| All-Time Record vs. Buffalo at Home: | 51-40-12-5 (108 Games) |
| Record vs. Eastern Conference | 8-9-4 (21 Games) |
| Record vs. Atlantic Division | 6-5-1 (12 Games) |
| Attendance | 19,365 |
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
| Shots | 6 (Barrie) |
| Shot Attempts | 9 (Tavares) |
| Faceoff Wins | 12 (Tavares) |
| Faceoff Win Percentage | 100% (Gauthier – 5 won, 0 lost; Spezza, Marner – 1 won, 0 lost) |
| Hits | 5 (Muzzin) |
| Blocked Shots | 3 (Muzzin, Rielly) |
| Takeaways | 5 (Matthews) |
| TOI | 23:28 (Muzzin) |
| Power Play TOI | 1:41 (Five players tied) |
| Shorthanded TOI | 2:18 (Ceci) |
| Shifts | 26 (Muzzin) |
| 5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage | 66.7% (Dermott – 12 for, 6 against) |
RECORD WHEN…
| Scoring first | 10-3-1 |
| Lead after 1 | 8-2-1 |
| Lead after 2 | 13-1-2 |
| Do not score a power play goal | 7-10-2 |
| Allow one power play goal | 6-6-3 |
| Score shorthanded | 3-1-1 |
| Outshooting opponent | 8-4-1 |
| Tuesday | 4-3-1 |
OF NOTE…
- The Maple Leafs went 1-for-2 on the penalty kill and went 0-for-1 on the power play tonight.
- Frederik Gauthier was 2-for-2 (100%) when taking offensive zone faceoffs and 3-for-3 (100%) when taking defensive zone faceoffs.
- Morgan Rielly was on the ice for a team-high 21 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 tonight. Muzzin finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 51.2 percent (21 for, 20 against).
- Morgan Rielly started 38.5 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which was the lowest mark among Toronto skaters.
- John Tavares was 7-for-11 (64%) in the faceoff circle when matched up with Buffalo centre Jack Eichel.
UPCOMING GAMES:
- Friday, December 20, 7:00 p.m. at New York Rangers (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
- Saturday, December 21, 7:00 p.m. vs. Detroit Red Wings (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
- Monday, December 23, 2:00 p.m. vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
- Friday, December 27, 7:00 p.m. at New Jersey Devils (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)
- Saturday, December 28, 7:00 p.m. vs. New York Rangers (Sportsnet, Sportsnet 590 The FAN)
Stats reflect official NHL stats at the time of distribution. Please consult official NHL game sheets (links above) to confirm no statistical changes were made.
The view from left field 