MAPLE LEAFS (43-25-5) at SABRES (31-32-9) 7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, MSG-B, NHL.TV
The Maple Leafs, who have lost two straight and are 1-4-0 in their past five games after going 6-1-1 in their previous eight, are six points behind the idle Boston Bruins with nine regular-season games remaining. The Sabres, who are 3-11-2 in their past 16 games and trying to win consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 11 and 13, are 13 points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference with 10 games to play.
Players to watch
Maple Leafs center John Tavares has 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in his past 14 games and 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists) in 29 games against Buffalo. Sabres center Jack Eichel has 15 points (10 goals, five assists) in 12 games against Toronto and is two goals shy of 100 in the NHL.
They said it
"You've got to have a short-term memory. You can't let one game lead into the next as far as feeling down on yourself so it's important that you separate those and every time you go on the ice it's a new shift, new game, and you've got to do your best." -- Maple Leafs forward Patrick Marleau "That line has been really playing well for us. They've been attacking the game, getting on the forecheck, driving to the net hard, which is creating offense for us." -- Sabres coach Phil Housley on the line of Conor Sheary, Evan Rodrigues and Alexander Nylander, which had four points and 11 shots on goal in a 4-3 win against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday
The Sabres held an optional morning skate; the Maple Leafs did not skate. … Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock said he has one lineup decision to make during warmups. … Babcock also said Nylander was "a little bit sick yesterday."
Stat pack
If both Nylander brothers play, it would mark their second game against each other and first since April 3, 2017, when Alexander made his NHL debut. … Matthews needs two points for 200 in the NHL. … Skinner, with 37 goals this season, is one goal shy of setting an NHL career high.
