Sheldon Keefe jabs Sabres fans over Leafs' arena invasion

Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs are renowned for their willingness to travel, particularly to NHL cities nearby Ontario. Among these destinations, Buffalo stands out as one of the closest. When the Sabres host a home game, it often feels like a Maple Leafs takeover, with number of Toronto fans usually significantly outnumbering fans of Buffalo. 

This phenomenon is partly due to the high cost of attending Leafs home games, prompting many supporters to seek the away-game experience instead. 

It's a situation that certainly isn't lost on Maple Leafs bench boss Sheldon Keefe, who couldn't help but remind Sabres fans ahead of their upcoming matchup this evening of which fan base is going to be louder. 

"I don’t think it is any surprise for anyone who is here that we get teams’ best when they come to Toronto when it is a rival like that," Keefe said. "When we go in there, we fill their building with our fans. There are lots of reasons for them to be at their best. There are lots of reasons for us to be at our best as well."

The Leafs will be looking to exact some revenge on the Sabres, who have beaten them by scores of 9-3 and 6-4 earlier this season. 

"We have given up 15 goals against this team in two games," Keefe said. "It is one of the most skilled teams in this league. If you don’t defend and don’t take care of the puck — and you make it easy on them — they make you look bad. It is not just us. It is teams across the league. When they are at their best and the game goes their way, that is what they do."

"We have to respect it with how we play. We have to adapt and be aware of the style of game. It is a different type of game than when you play against them with the skill they have. The game tends to be wide open. We have to manage that."

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