National Hockey League
Toronto 6, Buffalo 3
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees: Graham Skilliter, Furman South
Linesmen: Caleb Apperson, Ryan Gibbons
Attendance: 18641

Ryan O'Reilly had three goals and an assist as the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-3 Tuesday night.

O'Reilly completed his fourth career hat trick with an empty-net goal at 18:50 of the third period. Mitchell Marner earned his career-best fifth assist of the game on the play, making him the first NHL player to log five assists in a game this season.

The last Maple Leaf to log at least five assists in a game was Doug Gilmour on Jan. 22, 1997, against the Calgary Flames.

John Tavares added a goal and three assists, William Nylander had a goal and an assist and Michael Bunting also scored for Toronto. Ilya Samsonov made 29 saves for the win, Toronto's third in four games.

Alex Tuch had a goal and an assist for Buffalo. Jack Quinn and Jeff Skinner also scored for the Sabres, who were returning from a 2-1-0 road trip and had won two straight.

Buffalo goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed four goals on 10 shots before Craig Anderson took over in the first period. Anderson made 17 saves.

Toronto took a 4-0 lead in the first period.

O'Reilly scored twice within 37 seconds to open the scoring. They were his first two goals since joining the Maple Leafs in a trade on Friday from the St. Louis Blues.

O'Reilly, a former Sabre, scored from 25 feet on a pass from Marner at 3:51 following a Buffalo turnover.

Marner then set up O'Reilly for his 14th goal of the season on a backhand at 4:28.

Tavares scored his 26th goal of the season at 7:14 on a 15-foot wrist shot with O'Reilly and Marner earning assists.

Bunting netted his 19th of the season at 12:09 on Morgan Rielly's pass after a neutral-zone turnover. Anderson then replaced Luukkonen.

Nylander scored his 32nd goal of the season at 14:36 of the second period on a power play with Tavares and Marner earning the assists. The goal came 25 seconds after Jacob Bryson was assessed a tripping penalty.

Quinn scored his ninth goal of the season on an odd-man rush at 5:12 of the third period to end Samsonov's shutout bid. Casey Mittelstadt earned the assist.

Tuch produced his 27th goal of the season at 8:01 of the third on assists from Tage Thompson and Henri Jokiharju.

Skinner scored his 22nd at 16:29 of the third off assists from Rasmus Dahlin and Tuch before O'Reilly capped the scoring, with an assist from Marner.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Toronto   Buffalo
Mitchell Marner 5 Points Alex Tuch 2
Ryan O'Reilly 3 Goals Alex Tuch 1
Mitchell Marner 5 Assists Alex Tuch 1
William Nylander 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Ilya Samsonov .906 Save Percentage Craig Anderson .944
Ilya Samsonov 29 Saves Craig Anderson 17
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Toronto 29 6 1-2 1-1 4 33
Buffalo 32 3 0-1 1-2 6 23
Upcoming Games
  • Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Sabres have a W/L % of .607 after a win and .407 after a loss.
  • Toronto will play their next game at home against Minnesota. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .543 after a win and .696 after a loss.