The Toronto Maple Leafs have somehow won eight of their last nine games, despite being the NHL’s 32nd ranked team when it comes to actual goals scored vs goals earned.
This is great news for the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans because unlike most hot teams, they don’t appear primed for regression. In fact, we should probably get used to seeing the Leafs at the top of the NHL standings.
Currently, they’re two points behind the Panthers, even though Florida started the year with a 9-0 record. Florida might have a game-in-hand, but the Leafs have won the exact same amount of games in regulation.
In fact, the Leafs are second in the NHL with 10 ROW (non-shootout wins) and only Carolina (11) has more.
Still, what the hell did we just see on Saturday night? (stats naturalstattrick.com).
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Sabres
The Leafs were primed to lose this game: the second game of a back-to-back, with travel, across the border, with Joseph Woll in net, against their biggest rival, and playing a lousy team.
The Leafs always seem to lose these games, and they tried their best to lose this one. Not sure what Keefe was thinking, but his unnecessary lineup blender was garbage, and all his decisions were more or less terrible.
Scratch Sandin? Why?
Break up the superb Kase/Kampf combo?
Promote Nick Ritchie?
Demote Michael Bunting, despite the fact he’s playing fantastic and just not happening to score?
Benching William Nylander for one mistake despite the fact he’s been the team’s best player all year long?
Scratching Wayne Simmonds who has also been great but snakebit.
Keefe’s decision making was so bad I wondered outloud if he bet on Buffalo. Of course I was kidding, but I’m not sure what he was thinking during this game. The Leafs had their worst game of the season, got absolutely throttled by a team that is horrible, and yet, somehow, they actually got lucky and won.
In regulation no less.
This was a putrid game and it might have actually been better for the Toronto Maple Leafs to lose it in order to learn some of the lessons it might have taught them. Lesson number one: don’t make a bunch of whacky changes just because it’s a back-to-back against a weak opponent.
Then again, this team has lost a ton of games over the last year where they deserved to win and didn’t, so it’s nice to see the shoe on the other foot for once. It was a terrible game, the Leafs got lucky and have now won eight of nine. Not to Shabby!