The first five NHL Heritage Classic games were contested exclusively by Canadian teams, with six of the league's seven clubs that hail from the country participating. The Toronto Maple Leafs become the final Canadian team to appear in the contest and the Buffalo Sabres the first from the United States when the Atlantic Division rivals square off Sunday in the 2022 NHL Heritage Classic in Hamilton, Ontario. Toronto (37-16-5) won two of its previous three outdoor regular-season games, while Buffalo (19-32-8) is seeking its first victory in three such contests.
Opening faceoff from Tim Hortons Field is set for 4 p.m. ET. Toronto is the -320 favorite (risk $320 to win $100) in the latest Maple Leafs vs. Sabres odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total goals scored is 6.5. Before making any Sabres vs. Maple Leafs picks, check out the NHL Heritage Classic 2022 predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times. The proprietary computer model entered Week 22 a profitable 109-89 on all top-rated NHL picks this season, with a strong 89-66 record on top-rated NHL money-line picks, returning over $900 for $100 players. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Maple Leafs vs. Sabres in the NHL Heritage Classic 2022. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the latest NHL odds from and trends for Sabres vs. Maple Leafs:
- Maple Leafs vs. Sabres money line: Toronto -320, Buffalo +250
- Maple Leafs vs. Sabres over-under: 6.5 goals
- Maple Leafs vs. Sabres puck line: Toronto -1.5 (-110)
- TOR: Toronto is 8-3 in its last 11 meetings with Buffalo
- BUF: Buffalo is 1-7 in its last eight games on Sundays
Why you should back the Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews has been on fire, scoring a total of seven goals during his four-game streak. The 24-year-old leads the NHL with 44 tallies and is three shy of matching the career high he set in 70 games during the 2019-20 season. Matthews has been held without a goal in only two of his last nine contests.
Since being limited to one tally in a home loss to Buffalo on March 2, the Maple Leafs have netted at least four in four consecutive games. In addition to Matthews, Toronto has received multiple goals during that stretch from John Tavares, Alexander Kerfoot, William Nylander and Mitch Marner. The Maple Leafs have 10 players with double-digit goal totals this season, as Kerfoot and Pierre Engvall each netted their 10th in Thursday's 5-4 overtime loss to Arizona.
Why you should back the Sabres
Buffalo is coming off a 3-1 home victory against Vegas on Thursday, its third win in five contests. Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch, who were acquired from the Golden Knights in the deal for Jack Eichel on Nov. 4, scored against their former team while Victor Olofsson also tallied. Krebs ended a 15-game drought with his goal and Tuch's tally was his first in 11 contests, while Olofsson reached double figures for the third consecutive season.
Craig Anderson made 30 saves Thursday en route to his third victory in four outings. The win was the 300th of the 40-year-old's career, making him the 39th goaltender in NHL history to reach the plateau. Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson share the team lead with 23 goals, and both scored in the Sabres' 5-1 victory at Toronto on March 2.
How to make Sabres vs. Maple Leafs picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the goal total. It also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Maple Leafs vs. Sabres? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the money line to jump on Sunday, all from the advanced model that has crushed its NHL picks.
