March 12, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube speaks with the team during a break during Game 3 against the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Image The Toronto Maple Leafs are scheduled to visit the Buffalo Sabers on Saturday night in a clash of teams coming off a contrasting eight-game stretch.
The Maple Leafs snapped an eight-game losing streak (0-6-2) with a 6-4 home win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday despite losing Auston Matthews to a lower-body injury late in the second period.
Matthew Knies had a goal and three assists to help the Maple Leafs earn their first win since the Olympic break, which kept them out of serious playoff contention.
The Sabers ended their eight-game winning streak Thursday with a 2-1 loss at home to the Washington Capitals on Jakob Chykhrun’s goal at 18:27 of the third period. This streak put the Sabers in first place in the Atlantic Division.
Matthews was helped to the locker room after being hit on the knee by Radko Gudas, who was awarded a five-minute major for a game misconduct. Matthews did not return from what the team said was a lower-body injury. He was scheduled to have an MRI on Friday afternoon.
Matthews scored five minutes before his injury, ending a 12-game scoreless drought, his longest since his rookie season in 2016.
The Maple Leafs scored twice during a key penalty kick and pulled away from the Ducks in the third period, although there was no immediate physical response when Gudas hit the captain.
“We had four guys there that should have done something, but it didn’t happen then,” Toronto coach Craig Berube said. “But I thought they responded in the third. It was a good response there, but we all wish everyone had gotten in there right away.”
In the final frame, the Maple Leafs revealed emotions that are often easy to miss.
“It shows that the game requires passion and emotion to be successful,” Berube said. “We all know that. They played with passion and emotion in the third period.”
How much of that carries over into Saturday could be a factor against the Sabers, who think they’ve learned a lesson from their loss to Washington.
“There’s no one in this league you want to take lightly, no matter what the standings,” said Sam Carrick, who scored for Buffalo. “(Thursday) was a good lesson for us that every game is going to be big and teams will come out firing for us.”
The Sabers are competing fiercely for first place in the Atlantic with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens, who are 2 and 4 points behind, respectively.
“Every game from now on is going to be another level,” Buffalo forward Tage Thompson said. “The race gets more intense. The games start to mean more. Everyone is fighting for points and places in the standings. We know that. We are on the same page.
“I don’t think anyone in this room thinks we’re in any way safe just because we’re first on the Atlantic Ocean. There’s still a lot of hockey left, and that’s what’s keeping us grounded right now.”
Sabers forward Alex Tuch sat out Thursday’s game due to a lower-body injury sustained in Tuesday’s 6-3 win over the San Jose Sharks.
The Sabers have won two of three against the Maple Leafs this season.
–Field level media
