The Toronto Maple Leafs 2021 season is finished and, as we await the start of the playoffs, I thought it would be fun to go through a bunch of team stats.
Even though the Toronto Maple Leafs have been done for a few days now, please note that there are still two more games for the Canucks and Flames to play and that those may (but probably not) have an impact on the rankings listed below.
The Leafs finished 35-14-7 which was good for first in the North, and a tie for 5th overall. Considering the Leafs were in the running for the President’s Trophy until the last week of the season, I think that is pretty good.
It’s also a team record for highest points percentage in a season, and the best record the team has ever had after 56 games.
Toronto Maple Leafs Team Stats
If you are wondering “are the Leafs better or worse than their record indicates?” One thing you might find interesting is that six of the Leafs losses in regulation (almost half of their total) came during a ten game stretch where Auston Matthews could not properly shoot the puck due to an injured wrist.
The Leafs finished fifth in goals for, and seventh in goals against. They finished the year on a 7-1-2 run, and only played a single game that went to a shootout. They were equally great at home and on the road, going 18-7-3 and 17-7-4, respectively.
The Leafs finished 11th with a team 5v5 puck possession rating of 51%. They got 52% of the shots, which ranked them 8th. They got 58% of the goals, which ranks them third. They were ranked second with 55% expected goals.
The Leafs were 3rd in scoring chances for, and 2nd in dangerous scoring chances for.
Given their 5th place finish, and the general rankings of their 5v5 game, I think it’s safe to say the Leafs power-play cost them a few spots in the standings. I think this is actually a positive thing because if there is anything a team with Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander can fix, it’s their power-play.
Finally, the biggest reason for their success this year was goaltending. Last year the Toronto Maple Leafs also had excellent team stats, but 24th ranked 5v5 goaltending sucked the life out of them. This year, they were ranked 7th, using four goalies and having their starter available for just over half the games. (all stats 5v5 from naturalstattrick.com).
The Toronto Maple Leafs regular season gets an A+ and I think you can make a pretty good case that they are a more consistent power-play away from being the NHL’s best team.