3 least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from 5-3 loss to Buffalo Sabres ft. Matias Maccelli

NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo Sabres - Source: Imagn
3 least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from 5-3 loss to Buffalo Sabres ft. Matias Maccelli - Source: Imagn

The Toronto Maple Leafs endured a tough road loss against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night at the KeyBank Center. The Sabres pulled out a 5-3 win over the struggling Maple Leafs, who have now lost two straight.

Ad

Matias Samuelson got his first two goals of the season for the Buffalo Sabres, with Jiri Kulich, Tage Thompson, and Alex Tuch (SHG) getting the other goals for the Sabres. Meanwhile, Auston Matthews (PPG), William Nylander, and Dakota Joshua replied for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

So, here’s a look at the three least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from their road loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

3 least impressive Toronto Maple Leafs players from loss to Buffalo Sabres

#3 Philippe Myers

Ad

The Toronto Maple Leafs turned to Philippe Myers on Friday night as the club dealt with injuries on the blue line. Regulars Chris Tanev and Morgan Rielly were not in the lineup, so Myers got the call.

Myers skated on the third pairing, notching over 14 minutes of ice time across 20 shifts. While he managed three shots on goal, he was also on the unfortunate side of three Buffalo goals. The subpar defensive performance was particularly concerning as the Leafs did not get the sort of solid performance it was expecting from their depth blueliners.

Ad

#2 Dakota Mermis

Speaking of depth blueliners, the other defenseman that drew in place of the injured regulars was Dakota Mermis.

Mermis, who’s an otherwise reliable defensive blueliner, played in a little more than 13 minutes across 22 shifts. He ended the night a minus-2 while getting a shot on goal.

It was a tough night for the Maple Leafs’ bottom-pairing defenseman as the club hoped to get a more reliable outing from their depth blueliner.

Ad

#1 Matias Maccelli

Matias Maccelli got the first looks on the top line when training camp opened this season. However, his lack of effective play has led him to slide down the depth chart. He’s a bottom-six player at this point and might be looking to keep sliding.

On Friday night, Maccelli did not have his best looks of the season. He skated for 14:40 across 17 shifts. But it was his role in Alex Tuch’s shorthanded goal that was the final nail in the coffin for the Leafs.

Ad

Here’s a look at the play:

Ad

The pass from Oliver Ekman-Larsson, intended for Maccelli, was swiftly picked off by Owen Power. The Sabres’ defenseman streaked back up the ice with Tuch trailing.

The Leafs’ defender played the situation well, forcing Power to pass the puck. However, Maccelli could not catch up to Tuch, allowing the Sabres’ forward to take the pass and fool Anthony Stolarz for the backbreaker.

The Maple Leafs will have a chance to get revenge on Saturday evening, as they take on the same Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Arena as part of the second leg in their home-and-home series this weekend.

Wayne Gretzky’s wife Janet responds to critics questioning his loyalty to Canada, Bobby Orr's support following 4 Nations drama

Quick Links

Edited by Nestor Quixtan
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
bell-icon Manage notifications