Maple Leafs Have Much To Play For Before Playoffs Begin

With the Stanley Cup playoffs just around the corner, the Toronto Maple Leafs may just be playing some of their best hockey.

After struggling to be consistently good for a month beginning in mid-to-late February, the Toronto Maple Leafs have corrected their course, going 9-2-1 in their past dozen games, and firming up their hold on second place in the Atlantic Division. They currently have 11 regular-season games remaining before the playoffs, and although everyone knows they’ll ultimately be judged by their post-season performance, the reality is the pressure is already on them and there’s no longer any room for slack.

Yes, there’s no chance the Leafs will miss the playoffs at this stage. But even with this latest hot streak they’re on, Toronto does not have a firm grip on the second spot in the Atlantic. They do have five more points than the third-place Boston Bruins and the fourth-place Tampa Bay Lightning, but both the Bruins and Bolts have a game in hand on them. There’s still no assurance they don’t fall in the standings and lose the home-ice advantage they have at present.

And if they fall out of the top three spots in the Atlantic and wind up in the first wild card position – there’s virtually no way they fall behind Washington and get the final wild card berth – the Leafs may wind up taking on the Metropolitan Division’s Carolina Hurricanes. The prospect of taking on former Leafs’ goalie and current Canes starter Frederik Andersen might appeal to some Toronto fans, but the hockey gods may push Andersen and his Carolina team out in the first round. An opening-round loss to any team will be unacceptable for the Leafs, but losing to Andersen would be especially agonizing.

Toronto can prevent that by keeping Tampa and Boston at bay and setting themselves up for a first-round showdown against one of those two deep, experienced teams. There’s likely no matchup that will keep a lid on Buds fans’ anxieties, but the Leafs have won both games they’ve played against the Bruins this year, and their final game of the regular season comes against Boston on April 29. They’ve won two of three games against the Lightning as well, but going up against the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champions may be more of a psychological and structural problem than the Bruins would pose.

Around Full Press Hockey

NHL: Senators Honour Eugene Melnyk With a Few Great Performances

NHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers

NHL:  The Possibility of Patrick Kane Leaving The Chicago Blackhawks

NFL: FPC 2022 NFL Mock Draft 4.0: Getting Defensive Rather Early

Wrestling: NXT Black and Gold Shine In Loss To NXT 2.0 in War Games Match

PODCAST: Full Press NHL Podcast Ep 25: Eugene Melnyk Passes Away; NHL Salary Cap Rises

The remainder of the regular season also could hurt the Leafs – literally – if the injury bug takes a bite out of their lineup, and sidelines key players for the playoffs. Toronto has been relatively fortunate on the health front this year, but that could change in an instant. And although Leafs GM Kyle Dubas has surrounded his core of top forwards with depth and skill both up front and on defense, you know going into the playoffs you’ll be dealing with a war of attrition, and one or two absences could be the difference between winning and losing a playoff series or two.

Ideally, Toronto’s offence will lead the way for them in the first round, because though they’re a better defensive team than they were last season, the Leafs have had a very tough time holding leads in games of late. They’ve got 11 games to clamp down in their own zone and to see reassuring play from goalie Jack Campbell. Otherwise, they’ll be entrusting their year to rookie netminder Erik Kallgren; with all due respect to Kallgren, you don’t want to leave your season in the hands of a goalie who hasn’t experienced NHL playoff hockey before.

The schedule-maker is giving the Leafs a chance to end the year on a high note: six of their 11 games are against non-playoff teams, but they’ve had a habit of playing down to the level of lesser lights. They’re in control of their playoff destiny, and if they squander it before the post-season begins, they’ve nobody to blame but themselves.