Toronto 2, Buffalo 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 30, 2019
Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
Referees:
Kevin Pollock, Ian Walsh
Linesmen:
Scott Driscoll, Mark Shewchyk
Attendance:
19250
By Field Level Media
John Tavares scored his 10th goal of the season at 1:45 of overtime, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the visiting Buffalo Sabres 2-1 Saturday night.
Tavares scored on a wrist shot from the left side on a pass from Kasperi Kapanen. It was the fourth win in five games for the Maple Leafs under new coach Sheldon Keefe. William Nylander also scored for Toronto, while Frederik Andersen made 29 saves.
Rasmus Ristolainen scored for Buffalo, and Carter Hutton stopped 41 shots. The Sabres won the first game of the back-to-back set 6-4 Friday afternoon in Buffalo.
The Maple Leafs had an 11-8 advantage in shots on goal in the scoreless first period, but Andersen had the more difficult saves.
Toronto took advantage of its first power play -- and its only man-advantage of the game -- when Nylander notched his 10th goal of the season at 5:30 of the second period.
Auston Matthews fed Nylander a pass in the right faceoff circle, and Nylander skated toward the front of the goal before beating Hutton with a backhander. Marcus Johansson was off for slashing.
Andersen made two big saves in the middle part of the second period, most notably on a blast from the slot by Conor Sheary at 10:50. The Sabres thought the puck had entered the net, but a video review determined it had not.
Late in the second, Andersen stopped a dangerous backhander from Jeff Skinner.
Toronto had a 27-19 advantage in shots on goal after two periods, but Buffalo had better chances.
The Maple Leafs applied pressure at the start of the third period, forcing a couple of good saves by Hutton.
Buffalo tied the game at 6:58 on Ristolainen's second goal of the season, as he cut in front of the net and put in a backhander.
The Maple Leafs nearly scored in the final seconds of the third, when the puck trickled past Hutton but was cleared off the line by Marco Scandella.
With Alex Kerfoot returning to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension for an illegal hit, Jason Spezza did not play for the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
Buffalo |
|
Toronto |
Rasmus Ristolainen 1 |
Points |
John Tavares 2 |
Rasmus Ristolainen 1 |
Goals |
John Tavares 1 |
Jack Eichel 1 |
Assists |
John Tavares 1 |
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
William Nylander 1 |
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
Carter Hutton .953 |
Save Percentage |
Frederik Andersen .967 |
Carter Hutton 41 |
Saves |
Frederik Andersen 29 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
Buffalo
|
30 |
1 |
0-2 |
0-1 |
2 |
25 |
Toronto
|
43 |
2 |
1-1 |
2-2 |
4 |
29 |
Upcoming Games
-
Toronto will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .400 after a loss.
-
Buffalo will play their next game at home against New Jersey. The Sabres have a W/L % of .462 after a win and .429 after a loss.