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Toronto Maple Leafs: Pre-Game Thoughts Against Florida

By Tim Chiasson |
Dec 28, 2016; Sunrise, FL, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) talks with center Mitch Marner (16) before a game against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2016; Sunrise, FL, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) talks with center Mitch Marner (16) before a game against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look for their fourth straight win when they travel to Florida to take on the Panthers tonight.

The Toronto Maple Leafs can keep another team chasing them at bay with a win tonight. Here are some thoughts for the game:

1) Toronto can keep pace with Boston. If the Leafs win they remain two points back of the Bruins with a game in hand. Boston won against Vancouver last night and have the day off Tuesday. The Leafs need to push for that 3rd Atlantic Division seed to avoid playing the Washington Capitals in the first round.

2) Since the clock struck 2017, the Leafs and Panthers have both struggled equally in the possession department. Neither team has the upper hand by much, which leads us into a potential close game.

3) The Panthers are losers of four straight and are 2-7-1 in their last ten. It’s a chance for Toronto to take advantage of a struggling team who have nearly played themselves out of playoff contention. A loss to the Maple Leafs tonight puts a huge dagger in their post-season dreams.

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4) Tyler Bozak is expected to play. Despite still working on a small injury, Bozak is expected to be in the lineup. That’s great news because that means Eric Fehr won’t play. On the defensive side, Martin Marincin looks like he’ll remain in the lineup and Alexey Marchenko is out again. Connor Carrick is getting closer to a return but won’t play tonight.

5) Nazem Kadri is two goals away from his first 30 goal season in the NHL. He’s also one point away from setting a new career high for points in a season. Reminder: he’s always played this well, just never got results.

6) Jake Gardiner is one goal away from his second 10 goal season in the NHL, and two goals away from setting a new career high in goals. Gardiner has already set career high’s in assists and points.

7) Nikita Soshnikov will play yet again as Josh Leivo watches for unexplained reasons other than Babcock’s favoritism. Leivo has nine points in 12 games. Soshnikov has seven in 52. Leivo has better underlying stats. Leivo is the better player.

8) Of the Leafs top nine forward group, James van Riemsdyk sees the least amount of TOI per game. Leo Komarov sees the 2nd most among that group. There’s something majorly wrong with that picture.

9) The Leafs got much needed help from the team they beat a few days ago. The Hurricanes beat the snot out of the Islanders 8-4 last night. Why was that so important? Because the Isles play the Hurricanes again tonight. This was a big chance for New York to get four points against a lesser team and they blew it. Worst case scenario from tonight is the Islanders go up on the Leafs by a point, but the Leafs still have a game in hand. That’s a decent consolation with 14 games left.

10) Without a big push down the stretch from Marner or Matthews, the Toronto Maple Leafs won’t be hosting a Calder Trophy winner at the end of the year. As much as you might not want to hear it, Patrik Laine is having a better season. Keep in mind, though, that this is not the end of the world. Alex Ovechkin won the Calder Trophy over Sidney Crosby, and there isn’t a right-minded person in the world who would say Ovi is a better hockey player than Crosby.

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