Game 63: The one where we talk about the trade instead of the game
The Sabres dropped a 2-1 overtime decision on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but that got second billing to Wednesday's trade.
TORONTO — Let’s spare you the pain of recapping the Buffalo Sabres’ 2-1 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs and just hit the key points:
Victor Olofsson returned to the lineup for the first time since February 15 and promptly scored his fifth goal of the year.
William Nylander and Auston Matthews scored for the Leafs, with Matthews’ 54th goal of the season coming in overtime to win it.
There weren’t a lot of shots, there was even less compelling action, and it’s all very understandable. The Sabres were rocked by the sudden trade of Casey Mittelstadt Wednesday afternoon and headed to Nashville to play Thursday night. Toronto was coming off a loss to Boston on Monday night and were headed to Boston to play Thursday.
Thanks a lot NHL schedule makers, none of this makes any sense.
These games almost feel secondary this week as we’re all waiting for various shoes to drop leading up to the trade deadline on Friday. Seeing Mittelstadt as the first Sabres player out the door to Colorado in exchange for defenseman Bo Byram (analysis of the deal) is a stunner and the kind of move that was very difficult to prepare for.
“Anytime there's a trade where you lose a teammate, it's sad,” Dylan Cozens said. “Especially Mitts, he's been here for a long time, everyone loves him, and he was such a great guy and he's such a great player. It sucks to see him go, for sure. But (trades are) a part of (the game) and we're getting a really good player in return.”
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