Toronto Maple Leafs: A Week in the Life of Rivals

Atlantic Division

The Toronto Maple Leafs best bet for a playoff entry is probably going to come through the Atlantic Division’s third seed.

Right now, here’s how their division shapes up:

1. Boston Bruins (90 PTS)

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (85 PTS)

3. Toronto Maple Leafs (72 PTS)

4. Florida Panthers (70 PTS)

Now, these standings were the exact same now as they were at the beginning of the weekend. Saturday was a night the entire Atlantic Division would like to forget (hello, blowout season).

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are that familiar enemy that nobody really wants to see again.

But, sadly, we have been resolved to three of our last four playoff series being against the Boston Bruins. And each of those three times, Toronto Maple Leafs fans have been left with heartbreak. And, if we do make the playoffs, we will have to go through Boston again.

Over the last week, the Boston Bruins have played five times. Four of those have been wins. The last game however, against the Vancouver Canucks, I’m sure the whole city of Boston would like to forget.

How exactly does one lose 9-3? To the Vancouver Canucks? I don’t know. It’s especially surprising considering the fashion in which they won the four games prior to that one.

But, the Bruins have a tough pill to swallow on their way home. They face Calgary on Tuesday night looking to avenge that horrible, forgettable loss.

Worry Level: Mild

I say worry a mild level for the Boston Bruins because I don’t think they will fall to second in the Atlantic. So, if they maintain the first seed, they aren’t an immediate problem for Toronto come April. Hopefully, maybe a wildcard might knock them out (hello, last year’s Lightning) and they won’t even be a problem at all.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Toronto Maple Leafs leave tomorrow for what will be two of the most important games of the year. And the Tampa Bay Lightning should prove no easy defeat. The team rode their 11 game winning streak all the way through to Sin City.

That game? Was not too pretty. The Lightning lost 5-3 to the Golden Knights, and looked to bounce back in the desert against the Coyotes.

That uh, that didn’t go their way either. A 7-3 loss to the Coyotes sends the Lightning home on a pretty bad loss. They look to face the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, both teams looking to bounce back from rough losses.

Worry Level: High

Any Toronto Maple Leafs fan should be worried about the Tampa Bay Lightning. They’re the Leafs likely first round opponent, and so we should be very worried about them. Last year’s team could have made a good series with Tampa, and this year’s team I’m not too sure about. It’ll be an interesting ride for sure.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers are really the most important team to watch. They are the team closest to the Leafs in the standings, and right now they have a game in hand. So, every game counts right now. If I could pick one team that causes Toronto the most worry? It’s the Panthers.

The last week has not been kind to the Panthers. A bad loss to the Oilers followed up by two wins in California led the Panthers to Los Angeles.

Even in LA, Trevor Moore is still helping the Leafs. The Panthers ended up losing that game 5-4, and went into Vegas yesterday looking for a win. That, like the rest of our division, did not go well.

The Panthers ended up losing that 5-3. They roll into Arizona looking for a win on Tuesday.

Worry Level: Extremely High

Worry about Florida. Always worry about Florida.