{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Hockey League
Toronto 4, Buffalo 3
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees: Wes McCauley, Kendrick Nicholson
Linesmen: Travis Gawryletz, Darren Gibbs
Attendance: 19070

Auston Matthews' goal with less than three seconds remaining in overtime gave the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.

Matthews capped off a three-point performance with his second goal of the night, taking a drop pass from Kasperi Kapanen and beating Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark to give Toronto its fifth consecutive victory.

After missing more than a month with a shoulder injury, Matthews now has five goals in three games since his return to the ice. He has 15 goals in 14 total games this season.

Matthews also scored the game's opening goal, and he picked up an assist on Patrick Marleau's game-tying effort at 14:47 of the third period. After a shot missed the net, Marleau was in position to take the puck off the boards and sneak it inside the post.

Toronto's Jake Gardiner and Buffalo's Sam Reinhart each collected a goal and an assist, while Jack Eichel scored a pair of third-period goals to temporarily put the Sabres ahead.

At the 2:39 mark of the third, Eichel was wide open on the right side of the net to collect an apparent shot from Rasmus Ristolainen that was actually a well-disguised pass. Just over 10 minutes later, Eichel struck again, when Toronto center Nazem Kadri turned the puck over and then accidentally deflected Eichel's shot into his own net.

Though Eichel entered the night fifth in the NHL with 27 assists, he had recorded just two goals in his previous 25 games.

Toronto goalie Frederik Andersen had another busy night, stopping 38 of 41 Buffalo shots. Andersen has now faced at least 40 shots in each of his past four games and in six of his past eight games.

The Maple Leafs improved to 4-0-0 in overtime games this season, and they lead the league with 11 road wins.

The Sabres are now 0-2-2 in the last four games in the aftermath of a 10-game winning streak that tied a club record.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Toronto   Buffalo
Auston Matthews 3 Points Jack Eichel 2
Auston Matthews 2 Goals Jack Eichel 2
Auston Matthews 1 Assists Rasmus Ristolainen 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Frederik Andersen .927 Save Percentage Linus Ullmark .867
Frederik Andersen 38 Saves Linus Ullmark 26
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Toronto 30 4 0-2 2-2 4 37
Buffalo 41 3 0-2 2-2 4 29
Upcoming Games
  • Buffalo will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Sabres have a W/L % of .667 after a win and .455 after a loss.
  • Toronto will play their next game at home against Detroit. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .737 after a win and .667 after a loss.