The Toronto Maple Leafs face the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center on Friday in an Atlantic Division matchup. Both teams enter with records of 3-3-1 for Toronto and 3-4-0 for Buffalo, set for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop broadcast on HULU, ESPN+, SN1 and TVAS. Projected lineups highlight key players amid several injuries for both sides.
The Toronto Maple Leafs travel to Buffalo for the first of a back-to-back series against the Sabres, aiming to improve their early-season form. Toronto sits at 3-3-1 after a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, where defenseman Morgan Rielly logged 24:30 of ice time despite an undisclosed injury. Rielly participated in an optional morning skate but will sit out Friday, with coach Craig Berube noting they will evaluate him for Saturday's game.
Buffalo, at 3-4-0, comes off a 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday. The Sabres have multiple players sidelined, including goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body), who was recalled from a conditioning stint in Rochester but participated in morning skate. Coach Lindy Ruff indicated a plan for their three goalies over the next three games. Defenseman Jacob Bryson skated for the first time since a concussion protocol injury on October 18 in a 3-0 win over Florida, while Michael Kesselring could return next week after a preseason injury on October 1.
Projected Lineups
Maple Leafs:
- Forwards: Bobby McMann — Auston Matthews — William Nylander; Matthew Knies — John Tavares — Matias Maccelli; Dakota Joshua — Nicolas Roy — Easton Cowan; Steven Lorentz — Max Domi — Calle Jarnkrok
- Defense: Jake McCabe — Brandon Carlo; Simon Benoit — Philippe Myers; Dakota Mermis — Oliver Ekman-Larsson
- Goalies: Anthony Stolarz, Cayden Primeau
- Scratched: Nicholas Robertson, Sammy Blais, Joseph Woll
- Injured: Morgan Rielly (undisclosed), Scott Laughton (lower body)
Sabres:
- Forwards: Zach Benson — Jiri Kulich — Tage Thompson; Josh Doan — Ryan McLeod — Alex Tuch; Jason Zucker — Noah Ostlund — Jack Quinn; Peyton Krebs — Tyson Kozak — Beck Malenstyn
- Defense: Bowen Byram — Rasmus Dahlin; Owen Power — Conor Timmins; Mattias Samuelsson — Zach Metsa
- Goalies: Alex Lyon, Colten Ellis
- Scratched: Mason Geertsen
- Injured: Jacob Bryson (concussion protocol), Justin Danforth (lower body), Josh Norris (upper body), Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body), Michael Kesselring (undisclosed), Jordan Greenway (middle body)
Jason Zucker returns for Buffalo after an upper-body injury in the Red Wings game. Reports vary slightly on puck drop time, with most sources listing 7 p.m. ET and one at 7:30 p.m. ET.