Toronto Maple Leafs Results Cloud the Big Picture – Which Is Fantastic

The Toronto  Maple Leafs lost again last night.

For the Toronto Maple Leafs, that is their fourth loss in a row.

Flyers (OT), Hawks, Islanders and Bruins.  Yikes.

Nobody enjoys losing, but some perspective is needed because this team didn’t play so horribly that they deserved four losses in a row.

Toronto Maple Leafs Big Picture

First, the Flyers game was a coin-flip in the shoot-out.

Second, they put 60 shots on goal against the Hawks and lost to a hot goalie.

Third, they definitely deserved to beat the Islanders, but the goalies of both teams had other ideas.

Finally, they went toe-to-toe with the Bruins, extremely shorthanded, and were not out played.  In fact, if not for a couple terrible plays by one of their best and most dependable players – Morgan Rielly – they probably escape with a victory.

Sure, they were 0-2 on the PP and that is getting ridiculous, and sure, for a team that has their offensive firepower they were strangely unable to create any offense once the Bruins went into trap-mode,  but this was a game they could have won doing almost nothing different.

In fact, if the Leafs had any luck at all, they could be on a ten-game point streak right now.  Yeah, they lost four in a row and that is all that really counts, but if you’re looking or positives they do exist.

They could easily have won every game they lost this week, it’s not like they’re getting smoked.  Add in the facts that the power-play and the save percentage are guaranteed to be better in the future, and consider the fact that they are missing one of the best players in the NHL from their lineup, and there is every reason to remain confident in this team.

As for Craig Button’s analytics abilities, that’s another story.  He was really hard on the Leafs in the intermission and I don’t think the evidence supports his confirmation bias.

The Leafs are not that bad defensively.  They have actually improved significantly from last year, and they’ve also not dressed their optimal lineup for a single game.

Sure, the Bruins have injuries too, but they are missing a bunch of guys who’d have trouble making the Leafs.  The Leafs are missing Marner and Alex Kerfoot, to core and key players.

Anyways, this isn’t about excuses, it’s about reality.  The Leafs had a week that if you replayed it over a thousand times, they’d win four games more often than they lost four.

Anytime your time line can go out against the NHL’s best 5v5 team and post a 60% CF while getting 12 shots and a goal, you’ve got to like your chances. (stats naturalstattrick.com).

It’s really easy to be frustrated at the results of the current Toronto Maple Leafs team, but all the numbers tell us that they will turn it around.

I wouldn’t be against a change of coaches, but even that isn’t really a necessity.  Sure Babcock does things that drive me nuts, but the main thing that is going to fix the Leafs is just time.

Their power-play and their goalie will get hot, and they’ll be unstoppable.  A casual ten game winning streak will right the ship, and the team will capture the heart of this city like never before.

I fully, 100% believe in this roster and this team.  The numbers back me up.  They’ve been nothing more than unlucky so far, and that won’t last.

This is the best team in the NHL, and they will prove it shortly.