It seems like every game preview is a cautionary tale not to take the opposition too lightly this season. This one is. We are now into the weirdest part of the NHL season, and teams you’d think should be tanking aren’t, and teams you’d think should be playing at peak ability, like whoever that was playing the Capitals on the weekend, aren’t.
To face the Sabres, the Leafs have shuffled the lines in a way that makes sense given the way they’ve played since the trade deadline and the strength of the opposition. To that end, William Nylander gets another go at being a centre, and this weird patch of games with Auston Matthews out is the perfect time to have him work on this.