Observations: Alex Tuch scores twice in return to propel Sabres’ comeback win

TORONTO – Alex Tuch let out a chuckle at his dressing-room stall late Monday night and offered a belated apology.

“Sorry to anyone who had to watch any games with me,” Tuch joked. “I was yelling a little bit.”

Tuch was helpless while missing eight games with a lower-body injury. He couldn’t express frustration in his return, though. And somehow, the Buffalo Sabres’ do-it-all, top-line winger didn’t feel any after the Toronto Maple Leafs scored twice in 3:02 during the second period in Scotiabank Arena.

Tuch worked with his teammates to wear down and discourage the Maple Leafs’ stars. Buffalo had 16 consecutive shots on goal and didn’t allow one in over 17 minutes of game time.

The Sabres finally broke through with Jack Quinn batting the puck out of mid-air past goalie Matt Murray, and Tuch scored two of their four consecutive goals to back a strong defensive effort in their come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs.

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“There was no emotion, no wasted energy anywhere,” said Sabres coach Don Granato, referring to the 2-0 deficit in the second period. “They were dialed in. … This group knows they can score, so we’re tryin’ to sell the other side to them and believe in that confidence. Obviously, it came through tonight.”

Dylan Cozens gave the Sabres their first lead of the game when the 22-year-old center deposited a loose puck past Murray for their third consecutive goal. Tuch’s second of the game, his 30th of the season, occurred on a power play with 8:41 left in regulation to make it 4-2.

Maple Leafs winger William Nylander narrowed the deficit to one goal with just over a minute to play, but the Sabres held on to snap their four-game winless streak.

The Sabres (33-28-5) surpassed their win total from last season and drew within five points of the New York Islanders for the second wild-card playoff spot after going 1-5-1 in their previous seven games.

Anderson made 25 saves, including his 2-on-0 stop late in regulation, and four different Sabres finished with two points: Tuch, Cozens, JJ Peterka and Owen Power.

Tuch’s line with Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner was the difference in the third period, when the Sabres handed the Maple Leafs (40-18-8) their second regulation loss of the season after leading at the second intermission.

“It’s awesome, especially coming back from an injury, being out for a while,” Thompson said of Tuch’s 30-goal milestone. “He’s a big piece to our team and for him to achieve that, that’s awesome. I think everyone knows he’s got more in him so I’m just excited to see where he can go next.”

The responsible defensive approach the Sabres used in a 2-1 overtime loss Saturday to the Rangers carried over to Monday night. Buffalo allowed only one notable scoring chance during the first period, when it was outshot 12-3 but defended well in front of Anderson.

An awkward bounce led to the opening goal. Maple Leafs forwards Mitch Marner and Alexander Kerfoot skated toward Anderson for a 2-on-1 they couldn’t covert, but the puck pinballed off a skate and back to the slot. Auston Matthews was there to quickly shoot it past Anderson for a 1-0 lead 1:11 into the second period.

The Maple Leafs took advantage of their next opportunity, too. Calle Jarnkrok carried the puck down the right wing with Matthews cutting toward the net. Jarnkrok skated with it over the blue line and cut across the slot with a toe drag before beating Anderson with a low shot to make it 2-0 with 15:47 left in the second period.

“I thought we stayed patient,” Tuch said.

Somehow, the moment wasn’t deflating for the Sabres. They outshot the Maple Leafs, 15-0, over the final 15 minutes of the period, including Quinn’s goal with 5:12 remaining when the rookie winger got to the net to cap a strong shift by Peterka and Power.

The Sabres took advantage of the Maple Leafs having to skate further for a line change in the second period. Toronto’s top players were either hemmed in the defensive zone or stuck to the bench waiting for the opportunity to get on the ice while being outshot 17-3 in the middle frame.

Buffalo earned two power plays in the second period, the latter of which ended shortly before Quinn’s goal, and had 84 percent of the 5-on-5 shot attempts.

Tuch scored his 29th goal of the season by skating to the front of the net and finishing a brilliant backhand pass by Thompson – point No. 87 for Buffalo’s No. 1 center – to tie the score 2-2 with 16:21 left in regulation.

The Maple Leafs’ top players finally started to string together effective shifts. Anderson was forced to make consecutive saves on John Tavares and Michael Bunting when the Toronto forwards had the puck around the net with an opportunity to regain the lead.

The Sabres countered with Cozens’ goal to make it 3-2 with 10:21 left in regulation, then Tuch added another on the power play to give Buffalo the cushion it needed.  

This was an important game for the Sabres for several reasons. In addition to earning two points, they saw that they’re capable of creating offense while playing responsible at the other end of the ice. It will have to continue if Buffalo is going to defy the odds and snap the franchise’s 11-year playoff drought.

“It’s cliché, but one win at a time,” said Tuch. “One game at a time. … It really helps. It does. If you’re able to just not look at the standings, not look at what other teams are doing, focus on yourself and focus on your next opponent, it allows you to play your best games.”

Here are other observations from the game:

Power and Henri Jokiharju were a reliable, top defense pair for the Sabres with Mattias Samuelsson out and Rasmus Dahlin playing through an injury. Jokiharju skated a team-high 27 minutes, while Power had two assists in 26:31. 

Dahlin, meanwhile, was limited to 21:18, though he played better than his minus-3 rating would suggest.

“I thought it was Jokiharju’s best game in a long time,” said Granato. “He was very, very effective in helping us win and Owen was Owen. He does not play like a 20-year-old player. He plays like a veteran and it showed tonight.”

Quinn continues to take advantage of the opportunity to learn in the NHL. The 21-year-old winger’s goal in the second period was his 13th of the season, tied for six among all NHL rookies, and he has 30 points through 59 games. He has five goals in 16 games since the All-Star break, another sign that he’s continuing to improve while dealing with the tight-checking nature of late regular-season hockey.

Quinn became the first Sabres rookie since Victor Olofsson in 2019-20 to record 13 or more goals in a season. Quinn, Power and Peterka became the first trio of Buffalo rookies with at least 25 points in a season since Calle Johansson, Ray Sheppard and Pierre Turgeon in 1987-88.

Olofsson was a healthy scratch for the first time in his NHL career with Tuch back. It’s been a frustrating stretch for Olofsson, who has one goal and four points with a minus-14 rating in his last 15 games. He ranks 10th on the team in individual shot quality during that span, according to Natural Stat Trick. The Sabres have been outscored 14-4 with him on the ice during that span, including 7-1 during Tuch’s eight-game injury absence.

Granato explained to reporters last week that he wants to see Olofsson get to the inside more, like Olofsson did last season while playing through a wrist injury.  

The Sabres’ road trip continues Wednesday against the Washington Capitals in Capital One, then wraps Friday in Philadelphia with a game against the Flyers. Both games start at 7 p.m.

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