Rasmus Dahlin scored a hat trick, part of a five-point performance that led the Sabres to a 7-4 victory over the Maple Leafs Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.
The loss marked the fifth straight defeat for Toronto. It also ended a homestand, where the Maple Leafs managed a mere point (in the five games). The losing streak, while dimming the light on the team’s playoff hopes, illuminated many of Toronto’s weaknesses, most notably the play in their own end.
Defence was not a priority for either side in the first period, with the two teams combining for five goals.
The Leafs got on the board first. Jake McCabe fired a shot that missed the Sabres’ net but ricocheted out in front. A chaotic scramble ensued, with the puck ending up on Matthew Knies’ stick. The opportunistic winger snuck a shot by Ukka-Pekka Luukonen to make it 1-0 Toronto at 7:44.
Buffalo tied the score on Dahlin’s first of the night, a tough-angle shot that found its way past Joseph Woll at 9:29 of the first.
Toronto reclaimed the lead 1:20 later on a goal by Auston Matthews. The captain notched his 26th on the season off a rebound of a Max Domi shot.
That lead was also short-lived. The Sabres’ Josh Doan netted the equalizer on the power play at 13:16. Dahlin skated into the Toronto zone and fed a pass that took Doan to the goal line. Doan flipped the puck toward the net; it hit off a Leafs defensemen’s stick and ended up behind Woll.
Buffalo took the lead later in the period. Tage Thompson stole the puck in the Toronto end, skated between the circles, and roofed a shot by Woll for the go-ahead goal at 18:25.
The offenses took a break for the first half of the second period but revved up soon after. Bobby McMann tied the game for Toronto at 11:27 of the middle frame. Auston Matthews whiffed on a shot, but McMann was right behind him to gather in the puck and fire it by Colten Ellis, who had replaced Luukonen in the Buffalo net.
The Sabres took control from then on, reeling off three straight goals. Dahlin scored his second of the night, a tip-in past Woll at 18:17 to make it 4-3. Alex Tuch stretched the margin to 5-3 with his 19th of the season, a spin-around snipe that beat Woll 16 seconds into the third. Jack Quinn added his 12th of the season , taking an alley-opp pass from Dahlin, skating in and blasting a shot blocker side to make it 6-3 at 11:33 of the final period.
Max Domi drew the Leafs closer with his 8th on the year, trimming the margin to 6-4 with just over five minutes remaining, but Dahlin erased any doubt of a Sabres’ win, completing his hat trick with an empty net goal at 19:16.
Next up, the Maple Leafs embark on a five-game road trip. Their first stop is Seattle on Thursday night.
