From kristen_shilton: Tavares gets happy homecoming as Leafs down Sabres in Toronto. MORE:
It didn’t come on Thursday, when the former New York Islanders’ captain returned to face his former team – and their fans’ antagonism - for the first time since departing for Toronto in free agency last summer.
Right on script, Tavares scored the game’s first goal, too, hounding a puck out in front of Sabres’ goaltender Linus Ullmark early in the opening frame. It would be his first of three points on the night, and as a chorus of “J-T” rang down from the gathered faithful, Tavares acknowledged another lingering standing ovation from the bench.
That one of the team’s own skill players was showing that type of physicality seemed to embolden the Leafs, and Nic Petan broke through the stalemate. He had only just been traded to Toronto from Winnipeg, in exchange for Par Lindholm, last Monday, and in his debut with the Leafs the 23-year-old buried a one-timer past Ullmark to put Toronto up 3-2.
And unlike the way Toronto’s solid first period on Thursday gave way to sloppy puck management down the stretch, the Leafs showed some character of their own after giving up their early lead. Mike Babcock decided not to waste much time after acquiring Petan to see what he could do, replacing Tyler Ennis against Buffalo with the 23-year-old newcomer.
Both Pominville and Sheary got pucks past Andersen that he’d normally have no trouble stopping, and looked uncharacteristically shaky through the first 20 minutes. Sheary’s shot especially wasn’t particularly hard either; it just fooled Andersen’s glove hand.
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