Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Toronto Maple Leafs (11-6-1, 23 points) and the Buffalo Sabres (4-15-1, nine points) go head-to-head live from the First Niagara Center in Buffalo in the first of five games this season. The game can be live streamed here. Toronto fans can hear all the action on CHUM 104.5 while Buffalo fans can do the same on Sportsradio 550 WGR.
The Sabres will have a different look behind the bench as the Sabres fired general manager Darcy Regier and head coach Ron Rolston and appointed Pat LaFontaine to take over hockey operations while Ted Nolan will return behind the bench while Toronto comes in without forward Nazem Kadri, who was suspended for three games by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for an interference penalty against the Minnesota Wild. Kadri is second on the team in scoring with 14 points off of nine goals and five assists.
"There's always the option of bringing a guy up from the American Hockey League," Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle said about filling the void left by Kadri, according to NHL.com. "We've explored different avenues, multiple. So it's not like you have to have Plan A, B, C, D and E in the drawer here."
The Leafs have been led by Phil Kessel who is the team leader in points (19) goals (10) and has nine assists while James van Riemsdyk has 13 points off of six tallies and seven helpers.
Buffalo, meanwhile, has been led by Matt Moulson, who has two goals and six assists since being traded from the Islanders for a total of eight goals and nine assists for 17 points while Cody Hodgson has lit the lamp seven times and has added eight helpers for 15 points.
In net, Jonathan Bernier has started in 12 of the team's 20 games this season for the Maple Leafs and is 7-4-1 with a 2.05 GAA and a .939 save percentage while Ryan Miller has started 14 of the Sabres' 21 games and has posted a record of 3-11-0 with a 3.28 GAA and a .916 save percentage.
Buffalo will look to start winning under their new coach while Toronto wants to keep contending on top of the Atlantic Division when these two teams hit the ice tonight in Buffalo.
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