Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550/WBEN) - The Buffalo Sabres surrendered four goals in the first period on Tuesday night, as the Toronto Maple Leafs were able to coast to a 6-3 victory at KeyBank Center.
Former Sabres center Ryan O'Reilly made his return to Buffalo as the newest member of the Maple Leafs, earning a hat-trick along the way to earn his first three goals with Toronto.
Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner was able to register a career-high five assists in the win, captain John Tavares netted a goal and three assists.
It was O'Reilly opening the scoring early, as he gave Toronto a 1-0 lead just 3:51 into the first period. Just 37 seconds later, the 32-year-old netted his second goal of the night.
The Leafs continued their first period onslaught with John Tavares and Michael Bunting both scoring to extend the Toronto lead to 4-0 just 12:09 into the game. The fourth goal against goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen would be his last, as head coach Don Granato elected to pull the rookie netminder in favor of 41-year-old veteran Craig Anderson.
The goal scoring quieted down in the second period until Jacob Bryson took the first penalty of the game with a tripping infraction at the 14:11 mark.
William Nylander ended up cashing in on the man advantage, making it a 5-0 Maple Leafs lead with 5:24 left in the middle stanza.
The Sabres got their first chance on the power play just minutes into the third period, as Toronto defenseman Conor Timmins headed to the box for cross-checking.
While Buffalo failed to convert with the man advantage, Jack Quinn scored just moments later, getting the Sabres on the board.
A few minutes later, Alex Tuch cut the Sabres' deficit to 5-2, as he snapped a wrist shot past Maple Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov. The goal was Tuch's 100th tally of his NHL career.
After killing off a hooking penalty by defenseman Henri Jokiharju, Jeff Skinner gave Buffalo its third goal of the period, making it a 5-3 game with 3:31 left in regulation.
However, Toronto halted the late Buffalo surge, and it was O'Reilly capping off the hat-trick and the victory with an empty-net goal in the final moments of the game.
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GAME RECAP
Scoring Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
TOR: 3:51 - Ryan O'Reilly (13) (Mitch Marner, John Tavares); 4:28 - Ryan O'Reilly (14) (Mitch Marner, John Tavares); 7:14 - John Tavares (26) (Ryan O'Reilly, Mitch Marner); 12:09 - Michael Bunting (19) (Morgan Rielly, William Nylander)
Second Period:
BUF: NONE
TOR: 14:36 - William Nylander (32) PPG (John Tavares, Mitch Marner)
Third Period:
BUF: 5:12 - Jack Quinn (9) (Casey Mittelstadt); 8:01 - Alex Tuch (27) (Tage Thompson, Henri Jokiharju), 16:29 - Jeff Skinner (22) (Rasmus Dahlin, Alex Tuch)
TOR: 18:50 - Ryan O'Reilly (15) ENG (Mitch Marner)
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Penalty Summary:
First Period:
BUF: NONE
TOR: NONE
Second Period:
BUF: 14:11 - Jacob Bryson (Tripping - 2 min.)
TOR: NONE
Third Period:
BUF: 13:51 - Henri Jokiharju (Hooking - 2 min.); 15:25 - Tyson Jost (Unsportsmanlike conduct - 2 min.)
TOR: 1:59 - Conor Timmins (Cross-checking - 2 min.); 15:25 - Michael Bunting (Unsportsmanlike conduct - 2 min.)
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Losi and Gangi Three Stars of the Game:
1.) Ryan O'Reilly - TOR
2.) Mitch Marner - TOR
3.) John Tavares - TOR
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What's next:
The blue and gold head South to take on the Tampa Bay Lighting on Thursday night at Amalie Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. EST with pregame coverage on WGR starting at 6 p.m. EST with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog.
