Leafs are Leading the League in this Stat that Could Benefit Them in the Playoffs
The Leafs made a lot of trades in anticipation of the Trade deadline, this has given them a pretty solid shot at the playoffs.
The Leafs have a good shot at the playoffs this season
They made some great trades when they acquired Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari from St. Louis, they also acquired Jake McCabe, a great defenseman, they acquired Sam Lafferty, a winger with incredible speed, they finished off their trading with Erik Gustaffson and Luke Shenn.
For an already great lineup that boasted an impressive record of 38-16-8, these trades only made things better.
There is a minor adjusting period that always comes with receiving new players. The Leafs struggled in mid-February after acquiring Ryan O'Reilly and Noel Acciari, but they have recently gone 9-4-1 since.
Since the trade deadline, the Leafs have gone 4-2-1, despite the fact that this is a very small sample size, the Leafs are currently leading the league in the least amount of time spent trailing per game.
The Leafs are at the top of this stat, with an impressive average of 8:11 minutes per game. The Rangers are second with 10:46 TOI/GP, the Devils are third at 14:42 TOI/GP.
The Bruins, who are currently leading the Atlantic Division, are 5th at 16:20 TOI/GP, the Bruins are followed by the Lightning with 20:31 TOI/GP.
The Leafs have recently defeated Calgary, New Jersey, Edmonton, Carolina and Ottawa while losing to Vancouver with 2 shorthanded goals in the third period, Buffalo with 3 goals against in the 3rd period they also lost to Colorado, which was tied 1-1, but was won by Colorado in the shootout.
The Leafs have been plagued for years by their issues with goaltending and defense. This season is no exception, with the inconsistent performances and the frequent injures from Matt Murray.
However, recent acquisitions seem to be helping, and if the goaltending can keep up, things are looking good for the Leafs.
They have multiple veterans on defense, including Mark Giordano, Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, Erik Gustafsson and Luke Schenn. Their goaltending holds 2 Stanley Cup wins.
These things are always helpful when the playoffs start, but beating Tampa will require a full team effort.
Trailing for 8 minutes on average a game is a great start. If they can maintain their current success into the playoffs, the Leafs might have a good shot at making a deep run.
As seen on Maple Leafs Daily -
The Leafs lead the entire NHL in this stat since the trade deadline, which should be exciting for Leafs Nation ahead of the playoffs
| POLL | ||
Do the Leafs have a good shot at winning the Cup? | ||
| Yes | 137 | 38.5 % |
| No | 219 | 61.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
