The Toronto Maple Leafs will be in St. Louis tomorrow taking on the Blues.
As a Western Conference team, the Blues are an unknown quantity for most of the Toronto Maple Leafs fan base. So if you’re a hardcore hockey fan who knows every little thing about every team in the NHL, time to tune out. For the rest of you, here’s what you need to know about the Blues.
Geographically, St.Louis shouldn’t really be in the Western Conference any more than Toronto or Detroit used to be. There, is a reason, after all, why the Leafs used to be in a division with Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago, St.Louis and Winnipeg. I forget what that reason is, however, because in 19 seasons, the Leafs never once won the Norris Divison.
The Leafs then spent four years in something called the Central Division, and they didn’t win a title in that one either. After that, the Leafs went to the North East division for 15 years, and in 2000 they did win one title, possibly accidentally and due to Y2K. Who knows? As I am sure you are aware, painfully, most likely, they have never won the Atlantic Division title.
More from Editor In Leaf
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Robertson Healthy and Ready
- Ryan Reaves Will Have Zero Impact on Toronto Maple Leafs
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Playing Max Domi In Top-Six a HUGE Mistake
- Top 10 Scandals in the History of the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Results from the Traverse City Prospects Tournament
In fact, post 1967 expansion the Toronto Maple Leafs have only won a single division title.
This was supposed to be about St.Louis…
Back to the Blues. They currently have a 10-3-1 record that is good for first in the West (tie with LA) and second in the NHL.
The Blues are led by Jaden Schwartz and his 8 goals and 17 points, as well as Vladimir Tarasenko who is rocking 6 goals and 14 points. The Blues are a talented and deep team that is seemingly doing fine after the loss of franchise defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. Of course, having Parayko and Pietrangelo on the roster helps a great deal with that, I’d imagine.
The Blues may be piling up the victories, but their overall team stats paint them as more of a middle-of-the-league team, and I’d be surprised if their hot start lasts much longer. Who knows though, I’ve been wrong before.
At the very least a Toronto / St.Louis matchup is a good chance to see players you don’t normally get to see much. If you’re more of a casual fan, then Parayko and Schwartz are definitely guys you should know about, and if you’re not, well then I’m sure you already do.
Next: Why Would the Leafs Do This?
Going into tomorrow night’s game, the Leafs have lost four of five, and the Blues have won four of five, although they most recently were shutout 2-0 by the Flyers.