3 Thoughts on the Maple Leafs’ 5-4 Overtime Loss to the Sabres

The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night, moving to a 3-3-2 record on the season. The Hockey Writers' The Old Prof argues that the Maple Leafs are continuing to undermine their strong offensive output by failing to protect leads and collapsing defensively late in games. Kirill Marchenko scored a hat trick in his 300th NHL appearance, while Auston Matthews opened the scoring for Toronto before Owen Power netted the overtime game-winner for Buffalo.

The writer notes that Toronto struggled significantly in the third period after holding a two-goal lead, allowing Buffalo to dominate zone time and beat goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky with the tying goal. Additional concerns raised include limited ice time for rookie Gavin McKenna under head coach Jim Hiller, as well as an injury worry after John Tavares left the game following a collision.