When do the Maple Leafs play the Sabres?

Toronto hosts Buffalo at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET. It is the first of four meetings this season; the others are Feb. 27 and March 25 in Buffalo and April 3 in Toronto.

Is Rasmus Dahlin playing against the Maple Leafs?

Dahlin is day-to-day with an upper-body injury after leaving Buffalo's Oct. 12 win over Florida. He did not travel to Montreal for the Oct. 13 game, and the Sabres had not confirmed his status for Thursday at the time of writing.

What are the Maple Leafs' and Sabres' records?

Both teams are 3-3-1 after seven games. Toronto lost 5-4 in Utah on Oct. 13, and Buffalo lost 4-3 in a shootout in Montreal the same night.

Who won the Maple Leafs vs Sabres season series last year?

Buffalo took three of the four meetings in 2025-26, per The Hockey News. Toronto's lone win was a 4-3 overtime victory on Oct. 25, 2025, the night after a 5-3 Buffalo win.

Who is starting in goal for the Leafs against Buffalo?

Toronto had not announced its starter at the time of writing. Anthony Stolarz started the 5-4 loss in Utah, and Sergei Bobrovsky started the two games before that, including a 30-save win in Colorado.

Did the Sabres trade for Connor Hellebuyck?

No. Hellebuyck remains with the Winnipeg Jets, who suspended him for not reporting after his trade request. Buffalo was linked to him, but reports say talks faded over Winnipeg's asking price.

Maple Leafs vs Sabres Preview: Two 3-3-1 Teams, Dahlin Doubtful

Maple Leafs vs Sabres: the essentials

The Maple Leafs vs Sabres game on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena opens a four-game homestand for Toronto, and it arrives with both teams in the same spot. Toronto and Buffalo are each 3-3-1 after seven games. The Leafs are coming off a 5-4 loss in Utah on Oct. 13 that finished a 1-1-1 western trip; the Sabres lost 4-3 in a shootout in Montreal the same night.

The biggest name in doubt is Buffalo's. Captain Rasmus Dahlin left the Sabres' Oct. 12 win over Florida in the second period with an upper-body injury, and head coach Lindy Ruff said Dahlin would stay in Buffalo for treatment rather than travel to Montreal. He is listed as day-to-day. Toronto, meanwhile, will be without Chris Tanev, who is on injured reserve for at least three games.

Here is how the two teams line up heading in:

ItemMaple LeafsSabresRecord3-3-13-3-1Last game4-5 loss at Utah, Oct. 133-4 shootout loss at Montreal, Oct. 13Key absenceChris Tanev (IR, upper body)Rasmus Dahlin (day-to-day, upper body)Hot handAuston Matthews, five-game point streakOlen Zellweger, two goals in MontrealHead coachJim HillerLindy Ruff

Where the Sabres are

Buffalo's last game was a decent snapshot of its season. The Sabres scored early, fell behind 2-1 after Montreal scored on a five-on-three and early in the second, then scored twice in 61 seconds in the third, through Josh Norris and Zellweger, to force overtime. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 35 saves before Zachary Bolduc won it in the shootout for Montreal.

Without Dahlin, Zellweger is the defenceman who matters. He scored twice in Montreal, and Squawka's preview singles him out as the player taking on more of the load while the captain is uncertain. Dahlin had two goals and two assists in six games while averaging 23:38 a night before the injury, and that is a lot of ice time to redistribute.

The roster also looks different from the one Leafs fans remember. Alex Tuch, one of Buffalo's top goal scorers, left in the summer for the Washington Capitals. On Oct. 12, the Sabres traded defenceman Ryan Johnson, their 2019 first-round pick, to Pittsburgh for defencemen Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch. Tage Thompson, an alternate captain, opened the season on a line with Peyton Krebs and Josh Doan.

Where the Leafs are

Toronto's top players are producing. Matthews has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in seven games and was named the NHL's first star of the week for the week ending Oct. 11. John Tavares had a goal and an assist in Utah in his first game back on the top power-play unit, and the power play scored twice. Gavin McKenna scored again, 6-on-5 off a William Nylander pass.

The problem is the second period. Toronto was outshot 21-8 in the middle frame in Vegas and gave up four second-period goals in Utah, five of Utah's goals coming off the rush per The Hockey News. Hiller said three second periods on the trip were not good enough. We broke down why in our column on the second-period problem, and the full game story is in our Utah recap.

On the blue line, Nick Blankenburg and recalled Marshall Rifai are the depth options with Tanev out, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Darren Raddysh absorbed extra minutes in Utah. We profiled Blankenburg's opportunity in our IR piece.

The goalie call

This is Hiller's most interesting decision. Anthony Stolarz stopped 23 of 28 shots in Utah, his first start since Oct. 6. Sergei Bobrovsky played the previous two games and made 30 saves on 33 shots in the 6-3 win in Colorado after keeping Toronto in the Vegas game when it was outshot 43-24.

LeafsLurker's call: start Bobrovsky. He has the stronger recent games, and a home divisional game against a team missing its best defenceman is one Toronto should expect to win. Stolarz can take Saturday's game against the Islanders, the team he beat 2-1 on Sept. 30. For more on how the tandem was built, see our Bobrovsky piece.

Buffalo's starter was not confirmed at the time of writing. Luukkonen played 65 minutes plus a shootout in Montreal, and the Sabres have Alex Lyon as the other goalie on their roster.

The recent history

Buffalo has had Toronto's number lately. The Sabres took three of the four meetings in 2025-26, per The Hockey News, including a 5-3 win on Oct. 24, 2025; the Leafs' only win was 4-3 in overtime the next night. This season's four meetings break down like this:

DateVenueOct. 15, 2026Scotiabank Arena, TorontoFeb. 27, 2027BuffaloMarch 25, 2027BuffaloApril 3, 2027Scotiabank Arena, Toronto

Two of the four come in late March and early April, when playoff spots get settled, which makes Thursday's points matter more than an October date usually would.

The Hellebuyck subplot

The Sabres were among the teams linked to Connor Hellebuyck after the Winnipeg goalie asked for a trade in the summer. Hellebuyck remains with the Jets, suspended for not reporting, and Sabre Noise reported that Buffalo's talks faded over the Jets' asking price. We covered why the Leafs were never a realistic destination in our Hellebuyck no-movement clause explainer. If Buffalo ever does land him, this rivalry gets a lot harder for Toronto. For now, Luukkonen is the man the Leafs have to solve.

Players to watch

Auston Matthews. After two scoreless games to open the season, Matthews has points in five straight, including the overtime winner against Nashville on Oct. 6 and two goals and two assists in Colorado. He had four shots in Utah, and against a Buffalo defence without Dahlin, his line should have the edge.

Gavin McKenna. The first overall pick keeps finding the net in high-leverage spots, and his goal in Utah came with the goalie pulled and the game on the line. Thursday is the 18-year-old's first look at Buffalo, and Hiller's deployment of him at home, where Toronto has the last change, is worth watching. Our players page has his full line.

Olen Zellweger. Two goals in Montreal and a bigger role with Dahlin out. He is a mobile, puck-moving defenceman, which is exactly the type who exploits a team that turns pucks over on the breakout.

Tage Thompson. Buffalo's biggest scoring threat and an alternate captain. Toronto's matchup choice against his line, likely the Tavares or Matthews unit when Hiller can choose, will shape the game.

Three keys for Toronto

Win the second period. Clean exits, short shifts and no turnovers at the blue line. Buffalo scored twice in 61 seconds in Montreal; it can punish the same mistakes Utah did.
Test the depleted Sabres defence early. Without Dahlin, Buffalo's defence loses its biggest minute-eater. Toronto's forecheck should be aimed at whoever is filling his minutes.
Stay out of the box. The Leafs' power play is working, but nothing undoes that faster than handing Buffalo's top unit chances at home.

After Buffalo, the homestand continues against the Islanders (Oct. 17), the Sharks (Oct. 19) and the Rangers (Oct. 22). Track the Atlantic race on our standings page.