Toronto Maple Leafs: Team Stats and Standings Update
By James Tanner
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed William Nylander and then promptly went on a 1-2-2 skid.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had some rough luck lately – two OT losses and a bad luck game against the Lightning – but overall they’ve been playing decent, if not great, hockey.
Other than the Lightning game – arguably their best of the year – the Leafs haven’t been playing their best hockey of late. They have, however, proven that they can score well enough that they are in every game, even if they only choose to play for ten or fifteen minutes per night.
Assuming the Leafs gel and get to the point where they are playing a solid 60 every night, they should become unstoppable. The team has had a pretty successful season so far, but a lot of their record is based on a high shooting percentage and great play by their goalies.
In the second half of the season, I hope to see more consistency and a team that puts up better puck possession stats.
Toronto Maple Leafs Standings and Stats
The Leafs were keeping pace with the Lightning for most of the year, but have fallen off lately, while Winnipeg and Nashville have surged in the overall standings.
Currently, the Leafs sit third in the Atlantic with a 21-10-2 record, good for 44 points. They are eight points behind Tampa and one behind Buffalo.
Despite being third in their division, the Leafs are sixth overall and a mere two points out of second. With ten points up on their closest Wild Card challenger, the Leafs are all but assured to make the playoffs.
Currently, the Leafs are 13th in overall Corsi-For with a 50.37% CF. One thing to note: the Leafs hold the lead a lot, and teams that have the lead tend to be out-shot. If we use a score-adjusted Corsi, the Leafs move to 51% and are 11th. Not great, but also not terrible. If they improve on this stat now that they have their optimal lineup, they will be very hard to beat.
Surprisingly, the Leafs are 16th in shots-for per 60 minutes. They are the sixth worst team in shots-against per 60 minutes, which is a recipe for disaster. The Leafs allow over 32 shots per 60 and must improve in this facet of the game. *(unless otherwise noted, all stats are 5v5).
Although the Toronto Maple Leafs allow a lot of shots against, their goaltending has been excellent and they are fifth in the NHL in goals against. Given the sample size, however, I would put more stock in the shots-against numbers are they are far more repeatable.
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Overall, the stats paint a picture of a good team that can be much, much better. When the Leafs get their mojo back, when Nylander is at full capacity and they trade for the inevitable defensive upgrade, they will be a positively terrifying team to try and play against.
all standings info from NHL.com