The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently in the midst of a home-heavy stretch of their schedule.
In February, eight of their 14 total games were played at the Air Canada Centre. For March, they’ll be in Drake Country for seven of 13.
While it’s certainly nice to sleep in your own bed more often than not, these extended homestands are in place to make up for the decidedly less friendly stretches earlier this year.
The Leafs were the road team in 10 of their 13 December contests. November put them in the visitor’s locker room for nine of their 15(!). Without a doubt, their schedule has been uneven, and perhaps, dare I say, unfair.
Although, let’s inject some context. When weighing the two, the Leafs’ schedule is nothing when compared to the utter mess the Toronto Marlies have dealt with.
Road Trips
Ricoh Coliseum is a wonderful place to watch a hockey game.
Bursting with charm and fantastic sight lines, the Marlies’ path from their dressing room onto the ice runs directly through the concourse, allowing young fans an unprecedented closeness to a number of future-Leafs.
Alas, following every upside is a downside, and Ricoh is no different.
Its versatility renders it an attractive hosting ground for a number of travelling conventions and tradeshows. And while that may be ideal from a revenue standpoint, it’s less so from a hockey one.
Which brings me to the Royal Winter’s Fair.
Ricoh plays annual November host to the fair, with this 2017’s running from November 2-11th. Considering that hockey must be played on ice, and not an equestrian course, the Marlies were forced to find alternative lodgings while their building was occupied.
The ensuing road trip totalled six consecutive games, lasting from November 1st-11th.
Beginning in Toronto, the Marlies travelled to Laval, then Hershey, onto Le High Valley, then next to Wilkes-Barre, with a final stop in Binghamton. Round trip, they traversed a whopping 1,557 KM in just 12 days, all by bus.
Their record during that span was 5-1. Incredibly, they allowed a paltry eight goals against, four of which came in a 4-2 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
It was their fourth game in eight days.
Cabin Fever
Of course, everything eventually balances out, bringing forth a whole new obstacle in of itself.
Between February 19th and March 25th, the Marlies played 19 games. Of those 19 games, 15 of them were played at home. Three of their four road games were in Belleville, roughly a two-hour drive from central Toronto.
For over a month, the Marlies ventured outside of the GTA once.
Such a high volume of home games can be nearly as challenging as those on the road. It’s unnatural, a scheduling anomaly working against the typical ebb and flow of travel teams become accustomed to.
Sheldon Keefe recognizes this, telling reporters:
"We just need to turn the page and get out of this building and get on the road. We haven’t been in a hotel in over a month and it’s probably a little bit too comfortable here. The schedule’s been tough on us."
A desire to head out on the road is something you’ll rarely hear from any coach, let alone one whose team rides buses rather than chartered planes.
This intrigued me, so I pushed Keefe to elaborate on what he meant.
"It’s just not normal. You’re not used to it. It gets a little stale. When you’re on the road too much that gets old real quick too. We just need a change. We’ve had a lot of people around here and we’re taking a smaller group with us on the road. It’s just fun to be on the road, be together with your group. I think our team’s played real well on the road, we’re going to play against a real good hockey team. So, we’re looking forward to getting to the airport and get going."
Keefe certainly has a point.
Although they dispatched Laval by a score of 5-1 on Wednesday, the Marlies looked incredibly mediocre for large chunks of the game. A trend has formed of late, where they’ve been consistently bailed out by strong goaltending, aided by facing weaker opponents.
Now, they embarked on a pilgrimage to Manitoba, facing a Moose squad who previously swept a weekend series at Ricoh in mid-December.
It’s a brief return to normalcy for a team whose schedule has been anything but.
Next: Enemy's Insight - Buffalo Blues
The Marlies have conquered every obstacle in their path so far. I wouldn’t bet against them with this one either.