by When the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Buffalo Sabres, there are always a lot of fans traveling through the QEW. The Leafs fan base is one of the largest, as they are one of the oldest clubs in the NHL, but it is most noticeable in Detroit, most Canadian cities, and in Buffalo due to the high ticket prices for Sabers games compared to Leafs home games are cheaper at the Scotiabank Arena.
Traditionally, the ratio of fans in blue and white is about 50/50, but with the Sabers winless for 11 straight and sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference, Friday’s game against the Maple Leafs is likely to be a lot more monotonous. has chosen Atlantic Division rival Buffalo because season ticket holders may sell their seats for exponentially more than they paid for them to eager Leafs fans.
Sabers head coach Lindy Ruff approached Friday’s game almost as if his club was playing on the road.
“You have to rise to the challenge. It’s not what you want to see in your building,” Ruff said. “It’s all about the two points, not about the fans. If we play well we can take the fans out of the game.”
The pro-Toronto lineup hasn’t meant much in the past, as the Sabers typically give it their all and invest more emotionally when playing their nearest geographic rival (Buffalo is 74-32 against the Leafs at the Aud and KeyBank Center -6-3). ) than against any other team.
The Sabers handed Toronto a 9-3 loss (the Leafs’ most lopsided defeat) just before Christmas nearly a year ago, which should give Buffalo a glimmer of hope of ending its long losing streak.
Related: Sabers are in a never-ending cycle of dysfunction
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