Tavares took a lead pass from Matthew Knies and shot over Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s blocker from the slot on a breakaway for the game-winning goal.
Tavares also had an assist, Nicholas Robertson, Mattias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua scored and Knies had two assists for the Maple Leafs (4-4-1), who were 0-2-1 in their previous three games. Cayden Primeau made 23 saves
Toronto was without forward William Nylander because of an injury sustained on Friday in a 5-3 loss to the Sabres. He had played in 267 consecutive games, last missing a game on April 4, 2022.
Tage Thompson scored twice for the Sabres (4-4-1), who had won three in a row. Luukkonen made 18 saves in his season debut after missing the first eight games of the season with a lower-body injury.
Thompson put the Sabres up 3-2 at 7:06 of the third period on the power play. He got to a loose puck in the slot after Rasmus Dahlin’s shot from the blue line was blocked by Jake McCabe, spun and shot between Primeau’s pads.
Joshua scored for the second straight game, tying it 3-3 at 13:10 when he cut across the slot and shot past Luukkonen’s glove from the left face-off dot.
The Sabres went up 1-0 at 13:40 of the first period when Thompson took a cross-ice pass from Jiri Kulich and shot over Primeau’s right shoulder from the left face-off dot.
Robertson tied it 1-1 at 18:33 when he took a pass from Easton Cowan, who was behind the net and shot blocker side from the slot.
Maccelli put the Maple Leafs up 2-1 at 1:59 of the second period when he redirected a pass from Tavares past Luukkonen’s outstretched left pad at the side of the goal crease.
Kulich thought he tied it at 6:59 but the goal was overturned after the officials determined Zach Benson interfered with Primeau in the goal crease.
Bowen Byram did tie it 2-2 at 14:23 when he shot from the blue line through traffic in front of Primeau.