Game Preview | 5 things to know ahead of Sabres at Maple Leafs

TORONTO – Casey Mittelstadt felt it was a positive that the Buffalo Sabres had another game awaiting them following their loss at home to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.

The next test is a road meeting with the rival Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday.

“Let’s get that one out of the way and go out tomorrow,” Mittelstadt said. “It’s a big game for us, obviously a rivalry game. You know they’re a good team and we’re going to see where we stand.”

Coverage on MSG/MSG+ begins at 6:30 p.m. The puck drops at 7 on MSG/MSG+ and WGR 550. Out-of-market fans can watch the game on NHL Network.

Here are five things to know.

1. About last night

The Flyers scored two goals in the first 1:31 of the contest on their way to building a 4-0 lead that the Sabres would not be able to overcome. Henri Jokiharju scored the lone goal for Buffalo during the third period while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 14 saves.

Sabres coach Don Granato said postgame that the performance stemmed from a need to play more direct and decisively.

“We could have scored but let’s face it, we didn’t play the way we needed to play,” Granato said. “It starts with playing faster and more direct and we were not direct enough, and that was the difference in the game.”

Read Friday’s postgame report here.

2. Injury report

Mattias Samuelsson left the game Friday with a lower-body injury after skating 2:28 in the first period. Granato did not have an update on the defenseman’s status after the game.

3. In the crease

The Sabres have not announced their starting goaltender, but Luukkonen playing the first game of the back-to-back set could line up Devon Levi to make his first start since Oct. 19.

Levi started the first four games of the season for Buffalo before sustaining a lower-body injury. He returned to practice Tuesday and has backed up Luukkonen the past two games.

The rookie said he made the most of the chance for a reset.

“I just took the cards that I was dealt and played them,” Levi said Tuesday. “I just did the best that I could to take the time to recoup, get the mind right, body right, just refresh. It's like a little bit of a break, like an offseason, you get to come back fresh. That's just how I dealt with it.”

4. Mittelstadt mode

Casey Mittelstadt earned the primary assist on Jokiharju’s goal Friday to extend his point streak to three games, with two goals and an assist in that span.

The assist moved Mittelstadt into a tie for the NHL lead with 10 even-strength points this season.

5. Scouting the Maple Leafs

This is the first of four meetings this season between the Sabres and the Maple Leafs. The rivalry has been close of late, with the Sabres owning a 5-4-1 record in the last 10 matchups (including a victory in their most recent visit to Toronto in March).

Toronto is 5-3-2 to open its season, led by the offensive duo of William Nylander and Auston Matthews. Nylander enters Saturday on a 10-game point streak (a franchise record to open a season), during which he’s tallied a team-high 14 points. Matthews is tied for fourth in the NHL with eight goals.