BUFFALO, N.Y.— Alex Nylander was certainly looking forward to playing against his older brother, William, when the Sabres and Maple Leafs square off here Wednesday night.

“It’s a lot of fun playing against (William). This will be the second time for me against him,” Alex Nylander said. “Seeing him out there on the ice, in person, is a lot different than being in the stands. It’s a completely different feeling, it’s a lot of fun to see him play.”

Whether it’ll happen is another story.

William Nylander did not speak at the morning skate Wednesday, but Leafs coach Mike Babcock said his winger, who has six points in his last five games, was fighting the flu after the club’s 3-0 loss in Nashville on Tuesday night.

Babcock said he will make a roster decision if need be after the pre-game warm-ups Wednesday night.

Still, the Sabres are hoping this brother-on-brother matchup will become a constant when the Leafs and Sabres play each other.

Alex Nylander, 21, is a year younger than William and has had a strong season with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, racking up 12 goals and 31 points in 49 games before his recall by Buffalo last week. In his four games since joining the Sabres, he has a pair of assists.

The Nylanders were both drafted in the first round, eighth overall (Alex in 2016; William in 2014), and the Sabres want this to be the last time they ever have to call up their young star.

Like his brother, Alex Nylander possesses elite skating and puck-handling skills — in fact, scouts told Sabres writers that the belief in the 2016 draft — the year the Leafs took Auston Matthews first overall — was that Nylander was the most skilled player available that year.

Nylander had his best game in the NHL against St. Louis earlier this week, notching a pair of assists and just looking like an NHLer on a line with Evan Rodrigues and Conor Sheary.

“I had a good training camp, I wanted to be ready for this opportunity,” Nylander said.

The Sabres (31-32-9), who have traditionally clobbered the Leafs in games held in Buffalo, enter Wednesday's matchup 0-2-1 vs. Toronto this season and are in danger of going winless against the Leafs in a season series for the first time since 1987.

The Sabres, who are coming off a 4-3 shootout win against St. Louis on Sunday, also want to end another streak — they have not won two consecutive games since Dec. 1.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Babcock said earlier Wednesday that defenceman Martin Marincin will miss a second game with a flu bug, which means Justin Holl will draw into the lineup.

Garrett Sparks starts in goal for the Leafs (43-25-5).

Read more about: