Pinnacle   -1½ +200   BET365  -1½ +200  Sportsinteraction  -1½ +200  888port  -1½ +200

Posted at 8:00 AM ET. Odds are subject to change

Toronto -1½ +200 over Buffalo

KeyBank Center – Buffalo, NY

7:00 PM ET. Regulation only. The Leafs left the ice Wednesday night to a chorus of boos and rightfully so. Toronto was flat, careless, and predictable in a 5-2 loss to New Jersey. It was their second straight defeat and another reminder that this team, for all its skill, still hasn’t learned how to protect its own net for a full 60 minutes.

That’s the kind of loss that tends to reset a locker room, especially under Craig Berube. The Leafs now hit the road with a chip on their shoulder and a prime opportunity to make a statement against a Sabres team that’s been getting a little too much credit for beating soft opposition.

Buffalo’s win over Detroit looked nice in the boxscore, but the Wings were sluggish and careless, gifting the Sabres turnovers in bunches. Colten Ellis was solid in his NHL debut, yet he faced few real scoring chances. Lightning doesn’t strike twice often in this league, and now he’s staring down a Leafs attack that won’t be nearly as generous.

Toronto’s scoring depth is far superior, and their forward group should feast on Buffalo’s loose defensive structure. The Sabres give up high-danger looks like they’re on sale, and their penalty kill remains a liability. If the Leafs can stay out of their own way, they’ll generate more than enough chances to bury this one early.

Meanwhile, Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz has been vocal about his defense’s softness around the crease — and that’s a good thing. It signals accountability, something this club desperately needs. Expect a more compact, focused defensive effort after two straight games of chaos in their own zone.

The market is shading toward Buffalo because they’ve strung together a few wins against lightweights. That’s not real form, that’s variance. Toronto, off a humbling loss, is the more dangerous animal here — the one with teeth.

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