The bloom came off the Sheldon Keefe rose at the KeyBank Center, with backup goalie Michael Hutchinson providing some of the stink in a 6-4 Maple Leafs loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The Leafs had defensive lapses that were reminiscent of the Mike Babcock era, which seemed so long ago after Toronto won its first three games under Keefe. Keefe decided to start Hutchinson on Friday in the first half of a back-to-back set, something Babcock never did with his backups, and it didn’t matter. Hutchinson, now 0-5-1 with an .876 save percentage in six starts with the Leafs this season, again didn’t provide the kind of saves that difference-makers make. Alex Kerfoot will return after serving a two-game suspension, and the game will mark Keefe’s first in Toronto as Leafs coach.

Source: National Post November 29, 2019 23:49 UTC