With a look at the remaining schedule for the Leafs – these next five games in seven days – you’d perhaps pencil tonight’s game as the most winnable, given the standings. But I’m probably not alone in being absurdly nervous about the prospect of Toronto getting two points in Buffalo this evening, especially with the way the Sabres handled the Leafs last Saturday in the same setting.

Divisional games are often tough, no matter how far apart the teams are points-wise. They’re even tougher when a group feels they’re being ridiculed, which is likely how the Sabres felt last weekend when all the talk around that matchup was about how many Leafs fans would be invading their arena to watch the visiting team try to seal up a playoff spot. The Sabres, and Jack Eichel specifically, seemed to take it personally, and humbled the Leafs pretty quickly.

Toronto is in somewhat of a better position entering tonight, as Buffalo comes in as a tired team on the second half of a back-to-back. I still fully expect the Sabres to give them a lot to handle.

These are two enormous points, and grabbing both would essentially lock things up for the blue-and-white, pushing them to greater than 99% to secure a playoff spot according to some probability models, and keeping them in the driver’s seat for 2nd in the division.