Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres: Game preview, predictions and odds | December 20, 2024

The Toronto Maple Leafs are on the road to face the Buffalo Sabres on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Toronto (20-10-2) is coming off a 5-3 win over Dallas on Wednesday while Buffalo (11-17-4) lost 6-1 to Montreal on Tuesday.

Maple Leafs vs Sabres: Head-to-head & key stats

• Toronto is 89-112-18-11 all-time against Buffalo
• The Maple Leafs are averaging 3.03 goals per game
• The Sabres are averaging 2.87 goals per game
• Toronto is allowing 2.62 goals per game
• Buffalo is allowing 3.4 goals per game
• The Maple Leafs are 6-6-2 on the road
• The Sabres are 6-9-3 at home

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres: Preview

Toronto has won four of its last five games. The Maple Leafs are expected to start Matt Murray who they will call up from the AHL. Murray hasn't played in the NHL since April 2, 2023. In his NHL career, Murray is 146-84-24 with a 2.79 GAA and a .910 SV%.

Toronto is led by Mitch Marner's 42 points, William Nylander's 33 points, John Tavares' 29 points and Auston Matthews' 22 points.

Buffalo is on an 11-game losing streak. The Sabres are expected to start Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen who is 8-10-3 with a 3.00 GAA and a .896 SV%. In his career against Toronto, he is 0-3-1 with a 4.36 GAA and a .829 SV%.

Buffalo is led by Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch who have 25 points and JJ Peterka and Jason Zucker with 21 points.

Maple Leafs vs Sabres: Odds & Prediction

Toronto is a -162 favorite while Buffalo is a +136 underdog. The over/under is set at six goals.

The Sabres are struggling defensively and giving up too many chances, especially during their long losing streak. There is a big question mark with Toronto with Matt Murray starting.

However, he played well in the AHL and he should limit the Sabres' offense and lead Toronto to a big win.

Prediction: Maple Leafs 3, Sabres 1.

Maple Leafs vs Sabres: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Toronto ML (-162)

Tip 2: Under 6 goals (-110)