Toronto Maple Leafs Comprehensive: Player, Stats and Quotes of the Week

Toronto Maple Leafs Comprehensive

Each week I will put together a blog that evaluates the team’s performance for the week.  I will highlight a game of the week, a player of the week, gather some interesting news, and share some of the best quotes from Leaf players and coaches.

Weeks 1 and 2 will be combined into this first edition, as it’s more like a week and a half, so let’s give a breakdown of how the boys are doing.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently sitting in 2nd place in the North division with a record of 5-2.  Only our most beloved rival, the Montreal Canadians, sit ahead of us by mere % points at 4-0-2.

After a couple of rough starts for Freddie, both goalies have been solid, bringing the team SV% up to just a tic above league average at 5v5.  The power-play is off to a fantastic start, sitting 3rd in the league at 40.91%, and the PK is just above league average at 80.77% (all stats via hockey-reference.com).  The depth of the PP has also been impressive as both units have been effective early on.  Special teams have been solid.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have controlled the bulk of the play through the first 7 games, sitting both 5th in CF% at 54.2 and 8th in SCF% at 62.3, both very respectable numbers.  Keefe wants more pace, but early indications are good, and I expect these numbers to only get better as the pace quickens.

The guys that are supposed to be scoring, the guys that make the money, are scoring.  Marner leads the team with 10 pts in 7 games, and all four big contracts are driving the bus so far.  Not much to complain about here.

Considering all the craziness that surrounds the NHL restart, all the new faces on the Toronto Maple Leafs, a couple of key injuries, and the fact that these guys just got done playing 7 games in 12 days…I’ll take the 5-2 record and walk those points straight to the bank with a smile.  I’ll even high-five the teller while I’m at it.

The Game of the Week

The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Flames 3-2 on a Sunday afternoon and the game puck goes to Jack Campbell for his gutsy 31 save performance.  You can check out my preview of the Calgary Flames here, as part of the Canadian division primer from EIL, where I had them competing at the top of the division, and the Flames looked just as good as advertised in this game.

It’s worth repeating, but 7 games in 12 days right out of the gate, with no pre-season, is a serious challenge.  The team looked tired.  Calgary was rested and clearly looked quicker.  They played the Leafs hard right from the opening face-off.  All 3 goals the Leafs scored were lucky goals that bounced their way in the net.  To be honest, the Leafs really had no business winning this game.

It was a tough game to watch and not an enjoyable one from a fan’s perspective.  Matthews was clearly not 100% after missing the previous game with an injury.  There was no Joe Thornton because he’s out at least 4 weeks.  They Leafs were out-chanced and out-played, and really struggled for long stretches in the game.  It was just an ugly, frustrating game.

Why, then, do I select this game as the game of the week?  Because it was beautiful.

Jack Campbell kept his team in the game and gave them a chance.  He did his job.  And, under the circumstances, you really have to give the rest of the guys credit for just finding a way to win.  It was the kind of game where they could have just folded, given up, and lost.  They didn’t.  They just kept playing.  A few bounces went in the other team’s net, and what do you know, they got 2 points.

Winning ugly games when the odds are stacked against you is something this team isn’t supposed to do.  Right?  I mean, have they done it before?  Not often.  It’s not their thing.  It’s not their MO.  Or is it?  A new season, with some new additions, should be a bit of a reset for this team.  Plus, the core is pretty young.  They are still growing as players.  Perhaps this is the beginning of this team taking another step in development.

Either way, I hated the game when I watched it, but I loved it after I took a step back and put it into perspective.  This is actually the type of game that I’ve been waiting for.

Interesting stat

The Toronto Maple Leafs are controlling a lot of the play in the early going and the PP is firing on all cylinders, so why is it that the Leafs are converting on less high danger opportunities than the opposition?  Blue paint.

The Leafs have a 8.7 HDC% (% the Leafs have converted high danger opportunities), which is below the league average of 12.6 HDC%.  Leafs opponents are converting at 14.3 HDC% against them, which is above league average.  That’s a huge disparity.

I believe it goes back to something that Keefe has been preaching from day 1 in camp, make life easier for our goalie and harder for theirs.  The Leafs need to get to the front of the net more.  They also need to defend their own blue paint better.  Bottom line, we need a little more physical engagement guys.  Talent only goes so far.

Quotes of the week

“The only thing I can think of, other than I should have had that, was I just wanna shake his hand.  That was a heck of a play.  What a young talent, it’s good for the league, and you can count on me being better on that one next time.”  Jack Campbell on the Tim Stutzle goal, showing the kind of sportsmanship and honesty that we just wish all athletes had. (Sportsnet.ca via Facebook).

Joe Thornton during his post-game on January 16th after the win against Ottawa, on becoming the oldest Leaf forward to score a goal in an NHL game.  He asked the reporter questions in a back and forth banter that was a comedic breath of fresh air.  I can only imagine how valuable he is in the dressing room.  The quote is too long to post here in the blog, but it’s worth a listen.

Until next week,

Keep your sticks on the ice.