Maple Leafs at Sabres preview

MAPLE LEAFS (31--20--8) at SABRES (26--24--8)
7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, SN, MSG-B, NHL.TV

The Sabres have won two straight, including 4-3 against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. They've won three games in a row four times this season.
Sabres goalie Carter Hutton, who missed practice Saturday due to a maintenance day, is a game-time decision. If he is unable to play, Jonas Johansson will get the start.
Toronto, which is third in the Atlantic Division, is 3-3-1 in its past seven games following a three-game winning streak. Goalie Frederik Andersen is expected to start after Jack Campbell made 25 saves in a 4-2 win against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

Players to watch

Maple Leafs center John Tavares has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in a seven-game point streak.
Sabres center Jack Eichel has seven points (one goal, six assists) in a four-game point streak.

They said it

"I'm not keeping track of where our points are. I just know we have to collect as many as we can. We took care of what we needed to [against Ottawa] and now have a chance to do it [in Buffalo]." -- Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe
"The emotions will automatically be there because it's Toronto. The environment should be a good one. It's an important game for both sides. Obviously, we're trying to find points any way we can and put ourselves in the best position moving forward and they're the same way. We've just got to be ready to play." -- Sabres captain Jack Eichel

Maple Leafs projected lineup

William Nylander -- Auston Matthews -- Mitchell Marner
Alex Kerfoot -- John Tavares -- Zach Hyman
Pierre Engvall -- Jason Spezza -- Kasperi Kapanen
Kyle Clifford -- Frederik Gauthier -- Dmytro Timashov
Travis Dermott -- Tyson Barrie
Jake Muzzin -- Justin Holl
Rasmus Sandin
--
Timothy Liljegren 
Frederik Andersen
Jack Campbell
Scratched: Martin Marincin, Egor Korshkov, Mason Marchment
Injured: Ilya Mikheyev (wrist laceration), Morgan Rielly (fractured foot), Cody Ceci (ankle), Andreas Johnsson (knee)

Sabres projected lineup

Victor Olofsson -- Jack Eichel -- Sam Reinhart
Jeff Skinner -- Evan Rodrigues -- Conor Sheary
Marcus Johansson -- Curtis Lazar -- Jimmy Vesey
Zemgus Girgensons -- Johan Larsson -- Kyle Okposo
Brandon Montour -- Rasmus Ristolainen
Rasmus Dahlin -- Colin Miller
Jake McCabe -- Henri Jokiharju
Carter Hutton
Jonas Johansson
Scratched: John Gilmour, Andrew Hammond
Injured: Michael Frolik (illness), Linus Ullmark (lower body), Tage Thompson (upper body), Vladimir Sobotka (lower body)

Status report

Frolik, a forward, is questionable. … Johansson will return to the lineup after missing one game with an upper-body injury. … With some players game-time decisions due to illness or injury, the Maple Leafs recalled forwards Korshkov and Marchment from Toronto of the American Hockey League.

Stat pack

Eichel, who has 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) in 16 games against the Maple Leafs, is one assist away from 200 in the NHL. … Okposo needs one point to reach 500 in the NHL. … Matthews has 17 points (11 goals, six assists) in 14 games against the Sabres. … Hyman has six points (three goals, three assists) in a five-game point streak.