The Toronto Maple Leafs will take on the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night at the KeyBank Center. For the Sabres, it’s just a matter of playing out the string. But for the Leafs, there’s plenty on the line.
The Leafs have a chance to lock up the Atlantic Division win a win. That’s all. A win gives the Leafs first place and home-ice advantage in the first two rounds.
A loss gives the Tampa Bay Lightning a chance to creep back into the race for first place in the division.
The Leafs have wiggle room. They’re up by four points with two games to play. Nevertheless, that’s not an excuse to skate by Tuesday night’s contest against the Sabres. The Leafs must enter the game looking to win. The payoff in the end will be much bigger in the end.
Marner with a shot at 100 points
Mitch Marner enters the game with 99 points. He’s matched his career high from 2022-23 in which he had 99 points, falling one shy of the century mark.
This season, Marner has two games to get one point. That’s something perfectly doable, especially when facing a team like the Sabres. Marner should be motivated to get the monkey off his back and become the fourth Maple Leafs to hit the 100-point mark in a season.
Beyond that, Marner is playing for a shot at the Hart Trophy as well. Marner should be top five in Hart Trophy voting but should get consideration as a finalist. With Nathan MacKinnon sitting out the rest of his season, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl injured, and Nikita Kucherov making a push down the stretch, Marner could jump into the mix by topping 100 points.
Nylander looking to add to career-high goal total
William Nylander sits at 45 goals with two games to play. While he could explode and score five times in two games to reach 50, that seems unlikely at this point. Nevertheless, Nylander will be looking to add to his career-high goal total this season.
Entering Tuesday night’s game against the Sabres, Nylander is second in the NHL in goals. The Sabres’ Tage Thompson and Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin are right behind him.
Finishing second in the Rocket Richard race would be a fantastic end to a great season by Nylander. Moreover, it would be a huge improvement over last season’s 10-game scoring drought to end the season.
All in all, Nylander can finish the season strong and continue to be an impactful player in the 2025 NHL Playoffs. With a showdown with the Ottawa Senators looming, the Leafs will need everyone firing on all cylinders.