The Toronto Maple Leafs will face a challenging road matchup with the struggling Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night. The Maple Leafs carry an impressive road record and have points in 11 of their 13 away games this season.
The Maple Leafs also have two reasons to show up strong tonight. First, they would like to rectify a loss earlier in the season to the Sabres. On Nov. 4, the Sabres came into Scotiabank Arena and left with a 6-4 win.
Second, Toronto is coming off a fluky game where three of the four goals scored against Martin Jones came off the strangest of bounces. Only one goal could be faulted to Jones. The team would like to put that streak of misfortune behind them.
Related: Today in Hockey History: Dec. 21
On the other hand, the Sabres were booed off the ice at home on Tuesday night when they fell 9-4 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team has had a challenging stretch, and head coach Don Granato is squarely in the hot seat. Expect Buffalo to come out flying to silence their doubters and demonstrate they want to win for Granato.
Over each team’s past 10 games, the Sabres have a record of 3-6-1 and have averaged 2.6 goals, 3.7 assists, and 3.1 penalties per game. They give up an average of 3.5 goals per game. On the other hand, the Maple Leafs have a record of 6-1-3. They’ve averaged 3.9 goals, 6.8 assists, and 3.3 penalties per game. They give up an average of 2.8 goals per game.
In this edition of Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I’ll take a look at some of the moves the team made on Wednesday. I’ll also comment on one of the surprising defensive fill-ins this season. That’s Simon Benoit.
Finally, I’ll share news of the two Maple Leafs prospects suiting up for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. Both Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan played well in a tune-up game against Denmark’s U25 team ahead of the tournament.
Item One: Maple Leafs Make Some Roster Moves on Wednesday
The Maple Leafs made two roster moves on Wednesday, sending both Pontus Holmberg and Max Lajoie to the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Toronto Marlies. Holmberg has played eight NHL games this season and has registered an assist. I wonder if something might be wrong. Last night, the Marlies beat the Providence Bruins by a score of 7-3, but he didn’t play.
On the other hand, defenseman Lajoie did play against Providence last night. He scored a goal and added an assist. In his four NHL games this season, Lajoie hasn’t recorded any points, but he has contributed three hits and five blocks while averaging 9:32 of ice time. With six assists and a goal in 15 games for the Marlies, Lajoie could be recalled based on team needs.
Item Two: Simon Benoit Has Been Surprisingly Good
The Maple Leafs have been pleasantly surprised by the stability of defenseman Simon Benoit this season. When Benoit was first signed by Maple Leafs general manager (GM) Brad Treliving, there was skepticism about why the team would sign him. His numbers with the lowly Anaheim Ducks last season were poor.
Related: Maple Leafs Blue Line Gets More Physical With Simon Benoit
Still, he gained lots of experience playing in the Ducks’ top two defensive pairings. With the Maple Leafs, in contrast, Benoit has become a pretty reliable stay-at-home blueliner. He’s been much better than advertised. Benoit’s physicality, as shown by the 42 hits he’s collected and averaging nearly 15 minutes of ice time per game, gives the lineup some necessary grit.
Benoit is also willing to block shots. No one can say that he is flashy; however, thus far, he’s been consistent, efficient, and reliable. That you don’t hear much about him, one way or another, suggests that he isn’t making huge gaffs.
He looks to be a solid bottom-pairing option, which offers some valuable stability and depth to its defensive lineup. Even better, he’s been the answer to a critical need. He’s allowed the team to proceed without seeing a desperate trade for another blueliner. His solid play represents a roster move the Maple Leafs didn’t have to make.
Item Three: Minten and Cowan Good in Team Canada Tune-Up
In Team Canada’s inaugural tune-up game against Denmark’s U25 team, Maple Leafs prospects Fraser Minten and Easton Cowan showed considerable offensive skills. The entire team showed offense as it trounced Team Denmark by a convincing score of 8-0.
Related: The Case for the Maple Leafs to Return Fraser Minten to the WHL
Minten, playing as a winger despite being a natural center, had a standout game and scored twice, including once on the power play. He also registered an assist. Cowan, initially expected to be a depth forward if he made Team Canada, has surprised everyone. He’s been playing in the team’s top six. He also scored a power-play goal against Denmark.
These impressive performances have strengthened Minten and Cowan’s positions to play key roles on Canada’s roster in in the World Juniors. Despite initial doubts about their selection, both prospects have earned higher lineup positions than anticipated. Minten and Cowan’s contributions and (looking far ahead) their continued success bodes well for the future of the Maple Leafs’ roster.
What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?
Tonight’s Maple Leafs and Sabres game (Dec. 21) should be a good one. Auston Matthews and William Nylander lead the Maple Leafs offense against a team whose goalies can be hot or cold. It could be that the game will be a high-scoring event. Both teams have the horses to put up tons of points.
The Daily Faceoff projects Ilya Samsonov will be the starting goalie tonight, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. With a win, the Maple Leafs could move into sole possession of second place in the Atlantic Division. They currently have two games in hand on the Florida Panthers as both teams are sitting with 38 points.