The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1 to head into the All-Star Break.
With several days off for most of the team, the Toronto Maple Leafs can go on holiday knowing that they’ve locked up a playoff spot. It’s on the end of January, but because of the NHL’s seeding system, the Leafs are virtually assured of an opening round series against the Bruins.
With Tampa all but guaranteed to win the Atlantic, and the Leafs with a massive 15 points lead on the Red Wings, the Leafs are set in third place.
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The Bruins are five points ahead of the Leafs, but have played three less games. Tampa has two games in hand and a ten point lead. The most incredible thing here is that Tampa leads the fourth place team in their division by 25 points. And it’s only January. If you’re looking for a clue as to how that is possible, you might be interested that the Lightning already have 50 more goals than the Red Wings.
Playoffs
There is a danger that the Leafs could get complacent, knowing that they’ve pretty much got to kill 30 games in order to reach a place they already know they’ll end up. I think, however, that that danger is small because the Leafs are a young and hungry team, that has multiple NHL players waiting in the wings to take jobs from regulars. If the Leafs were had won multiple Cups and were already a great team, I think knowing they’re in the playoffs with 30 games to go would be a much bigger problem.
As it stands, I think the Toronto Maple Leafs are in a very good spot. There’s no pressure, but the competition for jobs will keep them ramped up. Additionally, they are now afforded the opportunity to experiment with different line combinations and player. With nothing to lose, they could try Nylander at centre for an extended run, or they could see how Kapanen does higher in the lineup etc. The specific instance isn’t what’s important, just the fact that they can be experimenter is a very strong advantage to have. With nothing to lose, Babcock can tinker to his heart’s content.
The other great advantage I see is that if a player is injured, there is no reason to rush him back. The NHL season is a grind, and with a playoff spot already locked up, the team can afford it if they want to give players extra time to recover, or even rest up when they could probably otherwise play.
Next: Leafs Biggest Disapointments
The NHL tracks it’s standings in a pretty bizarre way, but this year, it’s really going to help the Leafs.