The prevailing narrative surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs has been the same for a number of years; though regular season success is expected, nothing matters if they don’t find a way to break through in the postseason. That feeling has grown exponentially within the fanbase with each subsequent playoff disappointment, leaving fans searching for beacons of optimism through a marathon 82-game season.
This Maple Leafs core has routinely put together strong regular seasons, comfortably finding their way into the playoffs more often than not. For all of their regular season success, these Leafs have never made it easy on themselves in what has been one of the toughest divisions in the league over the last several seasons.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, and Florida Panthers have taken turns claiming the Atlantic Division title for the better part of the last decade. Outside of the pandemic season when the Leafs finished first in the North Division, Toronto hasn’t won their division since the 1999-00 season, typically claiming the second or third seed in recent years, leaving them with a difficult first-round matchup against another Atlantic Division heavyweight.
Toronto finished eight points back of the Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic last season, and their struggles within the division were a big reason why. The Leafs finished with a record of 11-12-3 against divisional opponents in 2023-24, with the Montreal Canadiens being the only team in the division who the Leafs managed a winning record against.
Another decisive victory against the Canadiens on Saturday night marked the Leafs’ third consecutive win against Atlantic opponents, bringing their record in division games to 4-1-1 early in the season. The win allowed the Leafs to keep pace with the surging Florida Panthers, who claimed their seventh straight victory on Saturday and have shown no signs of a Stanley Cup hangover. The Panthers currently have a three-point lead over the second-place Leafs, illustrating the importance of every point in the standings and how crucial those four-point divisional games can be. The Leafs won’t get a chance to test themselves against the Panthers for a couple more weeks, but they will have an opportunity to continue their winnings ways and pick up another crucial two points against a divisional opponent when they take on the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
Always follow your shot kids ✍️ pic.twitter.com/1vZEjSWZBo
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) November 10, 2024
Head coach Craig Berube will be happy with the recent results, but the process should also provide reason to believe that the Leafs are starting to find their footing in a new system in a way that should lead to sustained winning. Their penalty kill is markedly improved from a season ago, and after an inexplicably poor start for the power play, the Leafs have been nearly unstoppable on the man advantage over their current winning streak. They’ve been winning the special teams battle, they’re defending at a high level and getting great goaltending, allowing just two goals against in their last three games, and their star players have been leading the offensive charge.
Saturday night had all the makings of a game the Leafs have let slip away in recent years, but they managed to find their legs after a sloppy start, solidifying a win they needed to have if they’re going to make a push to win their division for just the second time since 1999-00. With fans looking for signs that this year could be different, competing for a division crown and a more favourable playoff matchup is a good place to start.
Statistics from NHL.com & Hockey-Reference.com
