Stat Emerges Proving the Toronto Maple Leafs Are Built for Stanley Cup Playoffs Success
The Toronto Maple Leafs have become deadly on defense this season, and some new stats show they have been built to succeed not only now but also in the playoffs.
GM Brad Treliving made a note this summer to add a wealth of defensive stars to his team in order to fill any holes the Maple Leafs may have. Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and the soon-to-debut Jani Hakanpaa have added new life to a defense desperate for change.
His addition of Craig Berube and his team was also a huge factor in the change this season, as the hiring of Lane Lambert is quite possibly Brad Treliving's best acquisition this summer. Lambert is in charge of the penalty kill and defense and the results are incredible:
Toronto, on its three-game win streak, has outscored opponents 11-2, and both of those goals came on the powerplay. That's an impressive bit of defense, and completely shutting down the opposition during 75% of the game will undoubtedly get you wins.
Toronto's ability to keep teams away from their net is a big advantage and only further helps both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll. High-danger shots are classified as the slot area, and more often lead to scoring chances, and Toronto's ability to stop those is crucial come playoff time.
Even though they've had a rough patch from Joseph Woll this season, his tandem with Anthony Stolarz is showing some real promise, and finally giving Maple Leafs fans some consistent goaltending for the first time in what feels like forever. With a combined .923 SV%, they're dominating teams.
Another key factor in Toronto's dominance is the fact that they are allowing fewer shots on goal in general than they have in years. Often being outshot, Toronto didn't allow their goalies to breathe last season; a polar shift from this year. It's almost bizarre to see how quickly things changed after so much stagnation.
GM Brad Treliving emphasized adding defense and a new mentality to his team, and boy did he. What went from a team being outshot and outplayed, to a shutdown defense in the blink of an eye should not be overlooked.
The Maple Leafs are good on defense. It's weird to say, but it's true.
