How the Toronto Maple Leafs Stack Up Against the Competition (Part 3)
The Toronto Maple Leafs start their play-in series this weekend, along with 15 other teams.
On Sunday, we will finally get to see the Toronto Maple Leafs in action, as they will begin their series vs the Columbus Blue Jackets.
After looking at the teams in the #11 and 12 seeds and then the #9 and 10 seeds, we will take a look at teams that would be in a playoff spot in a normal season.
The #7 and 8 seeds in the East and West are beginning to look more like legitimate playoff contenders, including the Toronto Maple Leafs. Stats are courtesy of Hockey Reference.
A Look at the Competition
(8) Calgary Flames
The Flames had 79 points in the regular season, one ahead of Vancouver, but did so in one extra game, so they fall to the #8 seed, based on points percentage. Calgary had a negative goal differential, scoring 204 while giving up 214.
The team boasts reliable special teams units, ranking 12th on the power play and 10th on the penalty kill. They are the epitome of league average in puck possession, finishing 15th in Corsi For % and 16th in Fenwick For %. (All stats naturalstattrick.com).
Calgary has a solid top six at forward with five guys posting at least 45 points and missing a combined one game. Matthew Tkachuk led the way with 61 points, while Elias Lindholm was tops on the team with 29 goals.
The defense is excellent, led by their top pairing of Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie. Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson both chipped in 22 points this season, and all three pairings are strong.
Goaltending is where the Flames are shaky. David Rittich started 48 games in the regular season and posted a .907 SV% to go with a 2.97 GAA. Cam Talbot had better stats over his 22 starts, but it will be Rittich’s crease.
Being the eighth seed sounds about right for the Flames. Their play in series against Winnipeg seems like a coin flip, and I could see a wide range of outcomes. Goaltending will likely be the difference, and in that case, Winnipeg has a considerable edge.
(7) New York Islanders
The Isles posted 80 points in their 68 regular-season games. They don’t score much, finishing 24th in the NHL in goals for, but they keep it out of the net, ranking fifth in the league in goals allowed.
New York is not a threat on the power play, converting just 17.3% of their chances. Their penalty kill is average, ranked 15th in the league. They are a brutal puck possession team, finishing 29th in both Corsi For % and Fenwick For %, languishing with the likes of Detroit and New Jersey.
New York’s forwards are pretty unspectacular. Mathew Barzal led the team with 60 points, while Brok Nelson, Anders Lee, Josh Bailey and Jordan Eberle chipped in at least 40 points.
Their defense keeps the shots down but provides very little offensive help. Their third pairing may be the best with Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech. Pulock led all defensemen on the team with 35 regular-season points.
The Islanders had two solid goaltenders this season. Semyon Varlamov took 39 starts and posted a 2.62 GAA and .914 SV%. Thomas Greiss was a very capable backup goaltender, with a .913 SV% and 2.74 GAA.
The Islanders are not an exciting team to watch, but they are stable in most areas. Head Coach Barry Trotz will get the most out of his players.
(7) Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks had 78 points in 69 games this season. They can light the lamp, posting 224 goals for this season, good for tenth in the NHL. Vancouver was 19th in goals allowed, giving up 214.
The power play is scary, converting on 24.2% of their chances, which was fourth in the league. They have an average penalty kill, ranking 16th in the NHL.
According to Daily Faceoff, Vancouver has the best second line in the NHL, led by Elias Pettersson, Tyler Toffoli and J.T. Miller. The other lines were towards the bottom of the league by forward line rating. Miller led the way with 72 points, and Pettersson matched him with a team-high 27 goals.
On defense, Quinn Hughes posted 53 points in his rookie season and is a finalist for the Calder Award as top rookie. The rest of the defense can be described as “meh.”
Vancouver’s goaltending is decent, hiding a lot of their defensive shortcomings. Jacob Markstrom is the unquestioned starter when healthy. He had a ballooned 2.75 goals-against average, but he had a .918 save percentage.
The Canucks are an exciting team to watch and should be a lot of fun in the play-in round. With steady goaltending from Markstrom, they can make a run. Their forwards are young and talented but may need some more playoff experience.
A Look at the Toronto Maple Leafs
(8) Toronto Maple Leafs
Some 3000 words later, I’m getting to the team with whom this website is designed for. The purpose of these articles was to see how Toronto stacks up against other play-in teams. SO let’s see how the Buds look heading into their series with Columbus.
Toronto had 81 points in 70 regular-season games and indeed turned things around after moving on from Mike Babcock to Sheldon Keefe behind the bench.
Goal scoring is not an issue for Toronto, ranking second in the league with 237 goals scored. Goals allowed, on the other hand, was a problem. The Leafs allowed 222 goals this season, good for 25th in the NHL.
The Maple Leafs have a scary power play, notching goals on 23.1% of their chances, which was sixth in the NHL. The penalty kill was 26th in the NHL, at 77.7%. Toronto is a strong puck possession team, ranking 6th in Corsi For % and 10th in Fenwick For %.
The Leafs Big 4 forwards are as good as anyone in the NHL. Auston Matthews led the team with 47 goals and 80 points. Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander all chipped in 59 points or more. They have depth in Zach Hyman, Ilya Mikheyev, Kasperi Kapanen and Alex Kerfoot. OHL phenom Nick Robertson adds some extra firepower to the team.
The defense is much maligned and for pretty good reason. Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl will be asked to shut down Columbus’ top line. Morgan Rielly is strong but will have to a heck of a job to make up for Cody Ceci’s shortcomings. Their third pairing was pretty steady this season with Travis Dermott and Tyson Barrie.
The team will go as far as Frederick Andersen takes them in the net. Freddie started 52 games this season and posted a .909 save percentage to go with a 2.85 goals-against average. His defense often hangs him out to dry. Andersen will need to flat out steal some games if Toronto wants to go on a run.
Next. Leafs Forwards Player Grades 2020 Regular Season. dark
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a high ceiling and low floor. Their play-in matchup against Columbus is not ideal, as the Blue Jackets are a team designed to slow down the Buds. Recent playoff results have been disappointing, and Leafs fans are expecting a breakthrough this year. Will the team be up to the challenge and pressure?