Toronto, ON (WGR 550) – Owen Power will take the headlines for the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, as he makes his NHL debut against his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
However, many in Toronto are making a big deal of the battle Rasmus Dahlin had with Auston Matthews at the 2022 Heritage Classic.
Buffalo has won two of the three games against the Maple Leafs this season, and Matthews only has a goal and an assist in those three games.
Matthews is about to become the first ever Maple Leafs player to score 60 goals in a season, as he currently has 58. He is also on a streak that has seen him net 51 goals in his last 50 games.
During the Heritage Classic, Dahlin pitched Matthews into the Sabres' net. The Leafs forward became enraged and they exchanged cross checks that landed Matthews a two-game suspension.
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Dahlin isn’t too worried about what may happen on Tuesday night.
“It will be a great game," said the Sabres defenseman. "Buffalo against Toronto is always good games, and I’m sure it will be a fun game to watch.”
As far as what Matthews may do, Dahlin is not too sure, but says "we'll see."
"We’re prepared for everything, but he’s on a pace for a lot of goals," Dahlin said. "I guess he’s going to focus in on scoring goals, so we’ll see what happens.”
Dahlin loves playing against the best of the best. As for Matthews Dahlin says he loves to take away his time and space, and not let him use his shot.
Sabres head coach Don Granato would love to see it too.
“I would like that matchup, and I think everyone is coming to see how competitive both those guys are," Granato said following Tuesday's morning skate. "'Dahls' wants the toughest matchup there is, he asks for it. So he’ll be ready to play, and I’m sure anybody getting a ticket tonight will enjoy the talent that’s out on that ice."
Granato has coached both Dahlin and Matthews in his coaching career, so he knows what makes them tick.
“I do know he was pretty ticked off at the end of last game, and I’m sure he’s carried that right into puck drop tonight," Granato said of Matthews. "He’s hot, so it’s going to be a challenge.”
It seems like many were surprised at the frustration that Matthews showed, but Granato wasn’t surprised at all.
“I’ve seen it, and he’s got a burn to play," Granato said. "He does not like not succeeding, so I’ve seen him be that intense, yes.”
As far as Power goes, Granato didn’t speak with him before the morning skate.
“I’m leaving him alone," he admitted. "I’ve watched him enough over the years and got to know him enough that there has to be a trust from my side, because he needs games like this and environments like this.”
The Sabres are finishing six-straight games against Toronto, the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes. It hasn’t gone well, as the team is 1-4-0 in their first five games. Those teams are fourth, seventh, second and third, respectively, in the NHL.
Defensively, it hasn’t been good lately, as Buffalo has given up four or more goals in four out of five games.
Granato wouldn’t comment on his lineup on Tuesday, but the players who stayed on the ice after the skate, being worked out by coaches were Dustin Tokarski, Colin Miller, Mark Pysyk, Anders Bjork, John Hayden and Will Butcher.
Craig Anderson has hit a rough patch in goal, losing four out of six games. He’s given up nine goals in his last two games.
Both Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner have five points in the three games against the Maple Leafs.
Toronto is red-hot as of late, winning seven out of eight games. The Leafs are second in the NHL behind the Panthers, averaging 3.82 goals per-game. In their eight-game hot streak, they lead the NHL with 5.38 goals for per-game.
Toronto leads the league on the power play, scoring at a 29.4% clip. However, the Maple Leafs have only gone 1-for-5 with the man advantage against the Sabres this season.
The Leafs have the third-best home record in the NHL with a points percentage of .771. The Leafs are 7-0-1 in their last eight home games with, believe it or not, the only blemish being an overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes.
Join the Bulldog for pregame coverage on WGR at 6 p.m. ET when you'll hear from Granato, Power, Dahlin and Kyle Okposo.
