@ Buffalo

Another road trip to Buffalo, another reminder that the Sabres treat a game against us like it’s Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals while we treat it like an optional morning skate. William Nylander and Auston Matthews did their best to keep the dream alive during a chaotic first period, but apparently, the defensive strategy involved letting Mattias Samuelsson—a man who usually scores as often as I win the lottery—look like prime Bobby Orr. Giving up a goal to Jiri Kulich in between just added that extra layer of familiar misery that we've all come to know and tolerate.

The middle frame was a masterclass in the "Leafs Experience" as Tage Thompson did Tage Thompson things and Samuelsson decided a second goal was necessary just to really twist the knife. Dakota Joshua tried to make things interesting early in the third, briefly tricking the fanbase into believing a comeback was actually possible, but Alex Tuch eventually stepped in to ensure the disappointment remained at its factory setting. Outshooting the Sabres 34-30 and still losing by two is the kind of statistical anomaly only this franchise can manage with such consistency.

It’s truly impressive how we can make a cross-border trip feel like a journey into a haunted house where the ghosts are just guys in blue and gold jerseys. We dominated the shot clock, found production from the big stars and the new depth guys, and still managed to stumble over our own skates when it mattered most. It’s early in the schedule, but the classic form of heartbreaking mediocrity is already in mid-season shape. I’d say I’m surprised, but that would require a level of optimism I haven’t possessed since the pre-lockdown era.