Leafs Notes: Weekly Preview 12/10/17-12/16/17

The Toronto Maple Leafs look to keep pace with the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division.

The Leafs start their week off by facing Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. Toronto then travels to Philly on Tuesday night to face a well rested Flyers team. The Leafs then travel to Minnesota to face the Wild on Thursday night. Toronto will end their week with a game against the Red Wings in Detroit.

The Leafs will need to stop Connor McDavid as they face the Oilers tonight at home. It seems if you slow down or stop him in a game then the Oilers offense gets stopped. The Maple Leafs will need to watch the Oilers defensemen since they can put up some points especially Darnell Nurse and Kris Russell. Toronto will need to take advantage of one of the worst penalty kills in the League by scoring some goals while on the man advantage. The Leafs will need to get a good game from backup goalie, Curtis McElhinney since he hasn't seen much action this year. The Maple Leafs will need to get the first goal of the game and have a solid defensive effort with no Auston Matthews and the backup goalie in tonight.

The Oilers will need to get the first goal of the game and keep attacking. Edmonton will need to play team defense and get a forecheck game established early. The Oilers will need to avoid the penalty box since the Leafs have a very good power play that can be dangerous. Edmonton will want to have the lead entering the final period since they haven't lost a game when leading after two periods this year. The Oilers will need to get a good game from the backup goaltender and he will need to make some key saves since the Leafs can get pucks to the net.

Toronto needs to find a way to stop the recently red hot Michael Raffl, who has scored five goals in his last eight games after scoring zero in his previous 42. The Leafs will need to get some good goaltending the Flyers can also get some pucks on net. The Maple Leafs will need to have a solid, road effort and get scoring from the depth lines. Toronto will need to stay out of the penalty box since the Flyers have a good power play. They will also need to watch the Philly defense since they like to join the play in the offensive zone, and will pinch to keep a play alive.

The Flyers will need to keep the balanced scoring going that they have had the past three games. Philadelphia will ned to get the first goal of the game and build off of it. The Orange and Black will need to keep attacking and establish a good forecheck game early in the game to make the Leafs defend. The Flyers will need to limit their mistakes especially in the neutral zone since the Leafs have some good transition speed. Philly will need to keep James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner in check.

The Leafs will need to get plenty of traffic in front of the Wild goalies because if they can see it then they will likely stop it. Toronto will need to establish a good forecheck early in the game. The Maple Leafs will need to get the first goal of the game and take the home crowd out of the game. The Leafs will need to stay out of the penalty box and find a way to stop Jason Zucker and Eric Staal.

The Wild need to get some sustained offensive pressure to stop the balanced attack of the Leafs. Minnesota will need to play solid defensive game, and have the forwards make sure that the gap isn't too big. The Wild need to get plenty of traffic in front of the net, and get the first goal of the game. Minnesota will need to be better in the first period of the game since they have been outscored by a goal in first periods of games. The Wild are going to need to find a way to stop Patrick Marleau and William Nylander.

The Maple Leafs finish off their week with a divisional game against the Detroit Red Wings. The Leafs will need to play a solid road game and limit their mistakes with the puck. Toronto will need to find a way to keep Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha off the board since they are the two leading scorers on the team. The Leafs will need to get traffic in front of the net and get pucks on net. The Leafs needs to stay out of the penalty box, and keep playing the way they've been play all season at even strength.

The Red Wings will need to play better while at even strength since they have been outscored 66-51 so far. They will need to play a discipline game, and stay out of the penalty box. Detroit will need to watch the transition game of the Leafs since they have plenty of speed. The Red Wings will need to limit their mistakes and play a solid defensive game.

Sabres Slashes: Weekly Preview 12/10/17-12/16/17

The Buffalo Sabres look to get back on track after losing three of their first four games to start the month of December.

The Sabres will take on one Western Conference team and three Eastern Conference teams this week. On Sunday night, they'll face the St. Louis Blues, who will be without Jaden Schwartz due to an ankle injury. They will then come home to face the struggling Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. It's back on the road to face the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night, and Buffalo finishes out their week with a game at home against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Sabres need to have some kind of energy to start this game against the Blues or they will be down a few goals before they know it. Buffalo will need to get the first goal of the game, and keep attacking. They will need to establish a forecheck early and often because the best way to stop the Blues offense is to make them defend. The Sabres will need to play with discipline and avoid a parade to the penalty box since the Blues have a good power play. Buffalo will need to get a good game from the goaltender, who will need to make some saves since the Blues should get their chances.

St. Louis will need to get the first goal of the game to keep the home crowd in the game. The Blues lines will be a bit different looking tonight with the loss of forward Jaden Schwartz, and it should be interesting to see how the loss of Schwartz affects the play of Brayden Schenn since the two have developed some chemistry early on this year. St. Louis will need to find a way to keep Evander Kane and Jack Eichel off the board since they have a hand in a lot of the offense for the Sabres. The Blues will need to force some turnovers, since the Sabres will turn the puck over especially in their own zone. St. Louis needs to not play down to the opponent tonight, and just play their game.

Buffalo will then face a struggling Ottawa Senators, who have been shutout in three of their last four games. The Sabres will need to find a way to stop Derick Brassard and Erik Karlsson, who are among the leading point producers on the Senators roster. Buffalo will need to watch the speed of Ottawa in transition since they can get the pucks behind the defensemen. The Sabres will need to attack and not sit back in this game since the Sens have been struggling to score lately. Buffalo needs to get the power play going and the Senators are not one of the better penalty killing teams in the League. The Sabres will need to make sure that they have the lead going into the third period.

The Senators will need to figure out a way to get their offense going in this game. They are playing one of the worse teams in the NHL, and they should be able to put some pucks into the net. Ottawa will need to get the first goal of the game to get some confidence going and then build on the lead from there. The Sens need to have a good game from the starting goalie, who needs to make saves and not allow any soft goals. Ottawa will need to have a better effort all around then they have had the past few games. It would be a good idea for them to just get pucks on net, and then crash the net for any rebounds or loose pucks in the crease area.

The Sabres then take on the Flyers on Thursday night in Philly. Buffalo will need to get the first goal of the game since the Flyers are a better team when playing with the lead. The Sabres will need to keep attacking and get some sustained pressure in the offensive zone to keep the new balanced lines off the board for Philly. Buffalo will need to stay out of the penalty box since the Flyers have a decent power play even though they have allowed four shorthanded goals against this year. The Sabres will need to keep Jake Voracek and Shayne Gostisbehere in check since they play a big part in the offense. Buffalo will need to be aware of the Philadelphia defense since they have no problem joining the play in the offensive zone.

The Flyers will need to keep the new look lines and balanced attack going against the Sabres. Philly needs to not play down to their opponent since they have been known to do this the past few years. The Flyers will need to get in on the attack, establish a forecheck early in the game and force a ton of turnovers throughout the game. The Orange and Black need to be better with the puck, and limit their mistakes since they have had plenty of costly turnovers lately. Philly needs to avoid the penalty box since the penalty kill has been in the bottom of the League all season long. The Flyers need to be aware of where Jack Eichel and Jason Pominville are on the ice.

Buffalo face the Hurricanes at home on Friday night. The Sabres will need to get off to a really good start in this game, and score some first period goals. Buffalo will need to keep Teuvo Teravainen and Jeff Skinner in check while they are on the ice. The Sabres need to avoid turnovers and mistakes with the puck since Carolina can make you pay for your mistakes. Buffalo will need to get their home power play going since they have only converted on 8.9% of their home power play opportunities. The Sabres need to get some offense from the defense even if they are just pitching in with assists.

The Hurricanes will need to get the first goal of the game to take the crowd out of the game. Carolina will need to be better on special teams since they haven't had the most success on them all season. The 'Canes will need to find a way to stop Jack Eichel and Evander Kane, since they are the two top point getters on the team. Carolina will need to get some stops from their goaltender and to play a solid, 60 minute game.