{"id":466748,"date":"2025-04-15T10:10:56","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T14:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=466748"},"modified":"2025-04-15T10:12:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T14:12:03","slug":"nhl-predictions-april-15-toronto-maple-leafs-vs-buffalo-sabres","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/04\/15\/nhl-predictions-april-15-toronto-maple-leafs-vs-buffalo-sabres\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: April 15 Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day our writers here at\u00a0<em>Last Word on Hockey<\/em>\u00a0look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/04\/11\/nhl-rumours-toronto-maple-leafs-dont-need-to-worry-about-offer-sheets\/\" target=\"_self\">Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a>\u00a0taking on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/04\/14\/14-years-of-heartbreak-the-buffalo-sabres-playoff-drought-continues\/\" target=\"_self\">Buffalo Sabres<\/a>.\u00a0Don\u2019t forget to check out more\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/04\/07\/nhl-predictions-april-7th-edmonton-oilers-vs-anaheim-ducks\/\" target=\"_self\">NHL Predictions,<\/a>\u00a0as\u00a0our writers continue this series throughout the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n<h2>NHL Predictions<\/h2>\n<h3>New Jersey Devils vs Boston Bruins<\/h3>\n<h4>Head-to-Head: Devils 1-1 Bruins<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong>\u00a07 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV:<\/strong> SN 360; NESN; MSG SN; ESPN+<\/p>\n<p>We open up NHL predictions with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/04\/14\/new-jersey-devils-forward-suspended-for-illegal-hit-to-head\/\" target=\"_self\">New Jersey Devils<\/a> visiting the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/04\/13\/nhl-predictions-17\/\" target=\"_self\">Boston Bruins<\/a>. New Jersey is expected to start <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/marksja02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jacob Markstrom<\/a> in goal, but always check social media before locking in a daily fantasy starter. The Devils have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but are 4-5-1 in the last 10 games and have lost three straight games. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/brattje01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jesper Bratt<\/a> leads the team in assists (67) and points (88).<\/p>\n<p>Boston is projected to start <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/swaymje01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeremy Swayman<\/a> in between the pipes for this game. The Bruins are just playing out the string and are 3-7 in the last 10 games. However, Boston did get a victory in its last time out. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/pastrda01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Pastrnak<\/a> is tops in goals (42), assists (62) and points (104) for the Bruins.<\/p>\n<p>One can never tell how these late-season games will go, but New Jersey should get the win.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Devils win 4-2.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres<\/h3>\n<h4>Head-to-Head: Maple Leafs 2-0 Sabres<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong>\u00a07 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV:<\/strong> TSN 3; MSG Buffalo; ESPN+<\/p>\n<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.thescore.com\/nhl\/events\/30718\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Our featured game<\/a> has the Maple Leafs looking to clinch the Atlantic Division title with a point against the Sabres. Toronto is projected to start <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/stolaan01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anthony Stolarz<\/a> in the blue paint in this game. The Maple Leafs are playing well at the right time with three straight wins and an 8-1-1 mark in the last 10 games. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/marnemi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mitch Marner<\/a> is one point away from 100 with 26 goals and 73 assists this season for Toronto.<\/p>\n<p>Buffalo is likely to give the start to former Maple Leafs goalie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/reimeja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Reimer<\/a> in this one. The Sabres are 6-3-1 in the last 10 games, but have dropped the last three games prior to this one. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/peterjo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">JJ Peterka<\/a> has been a bright spot this season with 27 goals with 39 assists for Buffalo.<\/p>\n<p>The Sabres would love to play spoiler, but the Maple Leafs get the win and the divisional title.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Maple Leafs win 5-3.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Columbus Blue Jackets vs Philadelphia Flyers<\/h3>\n<h4>Head-to-Head: Blue Jackets 1-2 Flyers<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Time:<\/strong>\u00a07 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)<\/p>\n<p><strong>TV:<\/strong> NBC Sports Philadelphia; Fan Duel Sports Ohio; ESPN+<\/p>\n<p>Our last game of NHL predictions has the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/04\/06\/nhl-predictions-april-6-columbus-blue-jackets-vs-ottawa-senators\/\" target=\"_self\">Columbus Blue Jackets<\/a> trying to stay alive against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2025\/04\/03\/nhl-rumours-projecting-philadelphia-flyers-d-mans-next-deal\/\" target=\"_self\">Philadelphia Flyers<\/a>. Columbus needs to win out and hope the Montreal Canadiens slip up. The Blue Jackets will likely start <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/merzlel01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Elvis Merzlikins<\/a> in the crease for this game. Columbus has won three straight games and are 6-4 in the last 10 games. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/f\/fantiad01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adam Fantilli<\/a> has been playing well as of late with seven goals and two assists over the last 10 games.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/e\/erssosa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Samuel Ersson<\/a> is the probable starter for the Flyers, who are 5-3-2 in the last 10 games. Philadelphia would love to play spoiler and eliminate Columbus. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/f\/foersty01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyson Foerster<\/a> has been playing solid as of late with eight goals and three assists over the past 10 games.<\/p>\n<p>Columbus is on a mission and will try to stay alive with a win.<\/p>\n<p><em>Prediction: Blue Jackets win 5-2.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Prop Bets of the Night<\/h3>\n<p>We round out NHL predictions with some prop bets of the night. Let&#8217;s got back to our featured game for our props. Go with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/tavarjo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Tavares<\/a> to get a power-play point in this game for Toronto. For Buffalo, take <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompta01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2025-04-15_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tage Thompson<\/a> to score a goal.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main photo by: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em data-start=\"3907\" data-end=\"4060\">Please play responsibly. Check your local rules and age restrictions. Some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Have a gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to another NHL Predictions. Each day our writers here at\u00a0Last Word on Hockey\u00a0look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the\u00a0Toronto Maple Leafs\u00a0taking on the\u00a0Buffalo Sabres.\u00a0Don\u2019t [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2352,"featured_media":466754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4547,4548,4524,18],"tags":[6081,6254,6083,6079,6082,6062],"class_list":["post-466748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sabres","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","category-leafs","tag-boston-bruins-predictions","tag-buffalo-sabres-predictions","tag-columbus-blue-jackets-predictions","tag-new-jersey-devils-predictions","tag-philadelphia-flyers-predictions","tag-toronto-maple-leafs-predictions"],"modified_by":"Dan Mount, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=466748"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":466764,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/466748\/revisions\/466764"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/466754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=466748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=466748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=466748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}