The Toronto Maple Leafs let a hat trick from Kirill Marchenko go to waste, surrendering a two-goal lead in the third period before falling 5-4 to the Buffalo Sabres in overtime Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.
With two of the league’s most potent offenses on the ice, a high-scoring game seemed likely—and the teams delivered.
Auston Matthews struck first, putting the Leafs ahead 2:24 into the opening period. The red-hot captain knocked down a clearing attempt near the blue line, raced toward the net and swept Jack Roslovic’s pass by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for a 1-0 lead.
Buffalo answered just over a minute later. Zach Benson took the puck from Nick Blankenburg behind the Toronto goal and fed Jack Quinn, who snapped a wrist shot into the net to tie the game. Quinn would finish with two goals and four points.
Toronto reclaimed the lead on the power play at 13:10. John Tavares slipped a pass behind three Sabres defenders to Marchenko, who jammed the puck past Luukkonen to make it 2-1.
Quinn brought Buffalo even again 2:41 into the second, firing from inside the circle past Sergei Bobrovsky. Marchenko answered with a sharp snipe inside the post at 11:13, then completed his hat trick just over five minutes later, tapping in a feed after Colton Sissons and Easton Cowan outworked the Sabres defence along the boards.
The Leafs carried a two-goal cushion into the third, but Buffalo found another gear. Dennis Gilbert cut the deficit with a shot from just inside the blue line that beat a screened Bobrovsky. At 12:16, Mattias Samuelsson finished a give-and-go with Tage Thompson to pull the Sabres even at 4-4.
Neither side could find the winner in regulation. In overtime, Quinn spotted Owen Power alone in the slot, and the defenceman wristed home the game-winner to complete Buffalo’s comeback.
Toronto will look to rebound Saturday night when it hosts the New York Islanders.
