> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Preview: Leafs vs Buffalo, Part II - URL: https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/preview-toronto-maple-leafs-vs-buffalo-sabres-game-preview-lines-news-back-to-back-babcock-keefe/ - Published: 2019-11-30T17:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2019-11-30T17:00:00.000Z - Description: Ok, let’s try that again. - Author: taaeeve - Tags: Game Coverage, #chorus, #Import 2023-04-05 11:27 ### [Toronto Maple Leafs](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/teams/toronto-maple-leafs?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) vs [**Buffalo Sabres**](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/teams/buffalo-sabres?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com): 7PM ### Watch on: CBC (HNIC) ### Opponent’s site: [Die By The Blade](http://diebytheblade.com/?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) The great thing about the [Toronto Maple Leafs](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/teams/toronto-maple-leafs?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) playing the [Buffalo Sabres](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/teams/buffalo-sabres?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) on home ice tonight after losing to them last night is that they’ll be extra motivated, and out for revenge. That’s the narrative I’m picking anyways, and I’m sticking to it. Auston Matthews in particular could use a comeback game, after a shaky performance last night where he also played a career-high 24:48\. William Nylander was carrying that line for much of the night, as Matthews seemed to consistently be just a bit off of where he should be (and where he would normally be). He seemed to finally get in sync right at the end of the game, when the Leafs made a final, exciting, but ultimately doomed push to tie the game – unfortunately a bit too late to make a difference in that game, but hopefully portentous of things to come. > Sheldon Keefe admits overuse of Matthews vs. BUF: "I played him a lot early in the game. That might have hurt us when we're now playing from behind in the second half. We couldn't use our bench the way we would have liked to and we have when we've had leads in other games" > > — Kristen Shilton (@kristen\_shilton) [November 30, 2019](https://twitter.com/kristen%5Fshilton/status/1200565443699920896?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) Other things that would be nice to see tonight: the Leafs not giving the game away in the second, and more Tavares goals, please. I’ve missed watching those. And, of course, we have Andersen starting in net on the second half of a back to back, which will finally give us the definitive one game sample to prove whether or not Babcock was right to refuse to ever do exactly this. There’s a lot of reasons that Babcock made this decision (spoilers: it wasn’t just to make everyone on twitter mad, that was just a fun, unintended side-effect!) but even with those reasons, it’s been a frustrating season for watching back to backs. Hutchinson, bless his heart, just isn’t up to the task of playing behind a team that, at the best of times, believes in defence more as a theoretical construct than a strategy that they should actually put into practice. Going into these games with a feeling of doom hasn’t been fun, so the change, even if it’s just for the one game and even if it’s based more on vibes than actual strategy, should make for a nice change of pace. On a related note, Katya just wrote a piece looking at Babcock’s former strategy of always starting the backup for the SEGABABA, and the strategic reasons for doing so. How about that. --- #### Related [Backups, Babcock and SEGABABAs](https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/maple-leafs-goalie-backups-babcock-and-segababas-michael-hutchinson-frederick-andersen-sheldon-keefe/) --- With Alexander Kerfoot back from his suspension, the Leafs’ lines are almost certain to shuffle, but there’s been no reports of who exactly will be exiting the lineup in his stead. Chris Johnson speculated [on twitter](https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1200804326958075904?s=20&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) this morning that Jason Spezza and Nick Shore are likely to be the scratches tonight, so here’s my best guess at the lineup. ### Maple Leafs Lines **Forwards** [Andreas Johnsson](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/198377/andreas-johnson?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Auston Matthews](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/282126/auston-matthews?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [William Nylander](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/246220/william-nylander?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [Ilya Mikheyev](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/337001/ilya-mikheyev?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [John Tavares](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297386/john-tavares?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Zach Hyman](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/111757/zach-hyman?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) Nic Petan - Alexander Kerfoot - [Kasperi Kapanen](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/246176/kasperi-kapanen?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [Pierre Engvall](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/246225/pierre-engvall?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Frederik Gauthier](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/198381/frederik-gauthier?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Dmytro Timashov](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/257873/dmytro-timashov?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) *Scratched:* [*Nick Shore*](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297250/nick-shore?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) *\-* [*Jason Spezza*](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/296508/jason-spezza?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) *Injured:* [*Mitchell Marner*](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/298190/mitchell-marner?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)*,* [*Trevor Moore*](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/283115/trevor-moore?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) **Defense** [Morgan Rielly](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297298/morgan-rielly?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Cody Ceci](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/298065/cody-ceci?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [Jake Muzzin](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/296562/jake-muzzin?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Justin Holl](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/111600/justin-holl?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [Travis Dermott](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/257871/travis-dermott?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Tyson Barrie](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/295109/tyson-barrie?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) **Goalies** [Frederik Andersen](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297321/frederik-andersen?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [Michael Hutchinson](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297871/michael-hutchinson?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) I’m taking the liberty of assuming that the Buffalo lines will be the same as they were last night (why not, they worked pretty well for them) but we’ll keep you posted if we hear otherwise. ### Buffalo Sabres Lines **Forwards** [Victor Olofsson](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/246279/victor-olofsson?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- Jack Eichel - [Sam Reinhart](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297493/sam-reinhart?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [Casey Mittelstadt](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297517/casey-mittelstadt?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Marcus Johansson](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/294320/marcus-johansson?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Jimmy Vesey](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/157820/jimmy-vesey?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [Jeff Skinner](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297073/jeff-skinner?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Johan Larsson](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297513/johan-larsson?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Conor Sheary](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/257866/conor-sheary?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [Zemgus Girgensons](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297487/zemgus-girgensons?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Rasmus Asplund](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/318274/rasmus-asplund?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- Colin Miller **Defense** [Brandon Montour](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/246270/brandon-montour?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Rasmus Ristolainen](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297499/rasmus-ristolainen?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [Jake McCabe](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297489/jake-mccabe?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Zach Bogosian](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297485/zach-bogosian?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [Marco Scandella](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/297511/marco-scandella?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) \- [Henri Jokiharju](https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/players/291551/henri-jokiharju?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) **Goalies** Carter Hutton Linus Ullmark Go Leafs go! > 160 km. > Two rinks. > Two nights. > > The Battle of the QEW is back with a home-and-home! [#LeafsForever](https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) [pic.twitter.com/tD7XM9Z1VL](https://t.co/tD7XM9Z1VL?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) > > — Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) [November 29, 2019](https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs/status/1200497569358585856?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)