The Toronto Maple Leafs shuffled their lineup ahead of Friday night's battle against the Buffalo Sabres and while they came away with a disheartening 5-3 loss, there were good signs. Especially when it came to head coach Craig Berube's new lineup decisions.
Auston Matthews has been locked with winger Matthew Knies to start the season but for a jolt of offense, Berube decided to have William Nylander on Matthews's right and gutsy winger Bobby McMann on his left. This new-look first line received some praise from the bench boss.
“They looked really good,” Berube said of Matthews and Nylander playing together Friday night. “They were quick. They supported each other really well and were strong on pucks. There was a lot of offensive-zone time. A lot of good things from that line.”
During the 5-3 loss, the new first line played a total of 12:19 TOI at 5-on-5 and in those minutes essentially split the impact compared to what the Sabres were able to do with them out there. They earned a 12-10 shot attempt advantage, but were outshot 7-6 and earned just 49.68 percent of the expected goals share, according to Natural Stat Trick. Basically, they drew even.
Nylander did end up scoring while the line was on the ice, but it was a quick counterattack breakaway, so it might not necessarily be proof that they were playing better than the Sabres, too.
William Nylander has been in on 56% of Maple Leafs goals this season pic.twitter.com/5I51W96HAC
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) October 24, 2025
Regardless of the so-so impact, it was really the stars of that line that were getting things done. On the power play, Matthews scored his fifth goal of the season in classic Auston fashion: A one-timer blast from the bottom of the faceoff dot.
By all accounts, and considering what the guy who is actually in charge of making these decisions said, this trio will continue to play together until they look absolutely dreadful. Hopefully, the rest of the team tilt the game into the Leafs' favour and we start looking at wins instead of losses that leave a feeling of dread and dispair deep in the soul.
The Maple Leafs will have the chance to bounce back quickly, with another game against the Buffalo Sabres at 5:00 p.m. Saturday evening.