The Toronto Maple Leafs are off tonight, but they are the NHL’s hottest team, having won 18 of their last 21 games, amassing a record of 18-2-1 in the process.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have won two in a row, three of four, and have points in four of their last six.
The insane run has seen Auston Matthews emerge as a Hart Trophy front runner, while Jack Campbell should and likely would win the Vezina if the season ended today. On top of that, Campbell would certainly get some Hart Trophy votes, and Morgan Rielly would be an early favorite for the Norris if Cale Makar hadn’t already won it.
The Leafs, more than anything else, are fun. I don’t think you would have believed me if I told you that six months ago, so let’s keep it going by having some…..
Fun With Numbers!
Note that all the numbers are from Naturalstattrick.com and NHL.com and that when necessary, I limited to just players who have played 250 minutes, which limits things to 467 players.
NHL Points
Alex Ovechkin 46
Toronto Maple Leafs Points
Auston Matthews 33
NHL Goals
Leon Draisaitl 23
Toronto Maple Leafs Goals
Auston Matthews 20
Best Video Game of All-Time
Final Fantasy 7.
Most 5v5 Points
Alex Ovechkin 30
Toronto Maple Leafs Most 5v5 Points
John Tavares 19 (6th in NHL)
Highest 5v5 Points per 60
Nazem Kadri 4.03 P/60
Toronto Maple Leafs 5v5 Points per 60
John Tavares 2.7 P/60
Fun With Numbers Bonus Fact
Only one of the Toronto Maple Leafs “Big Four” is scoring at a first line rate 5v5.
Considering the Leafs lead the NHL in 5v5 expected-goals, this should be concerning for other teams. It is extremely good news for anyone wondering if the Leafs are “for real,” because there is a very high probability (virtually a guarantee) that by the end of the season, all four of Marner, Matthews, Tavares and Nylander will be scoring at a first line rate.
Most 5v5 Goals
Kyle Conner 14
Toronto Maple Leafs most 5v5 Goals
Auston Matthews 10
Most 5v5 Goals Per 60
Kyle Conner 1.87 G/60
The Best Book I Read in 2021
American Tabloid by James Elroy
Best Corsi for Top Line Player
Patrice Bergeron 64.87% in over 300 minutes is absolutely ridiculous. This guy doesn’t age.
Expected-Goals Percentage
Patrice Bergeron at 67% Wow.
Most Scoring Chances Created Per 60 Minutes of 5v5 Ice Time
Auston Matthews
Fun With Numbers Fun Fact:
The NHL Leaders in this category are, in order: Matthews, Bunting, Marner, Duclair, Nylander, Sandin. So five of the six players whose teams get the most scoring chances when they are on the ice are Leafs.
The Last Movie I Watched
The English Patient. It was one of the worst movies I have ever seen.
Most Dangerous Scoring Chances Created Per Minute
Predictably, it’s Andreas Johnson?
Most Assists
Connor McDavid
Best Show of 2021
I don’t know, but I do know that I accidently watched 10 minutes of Canadian Roast Battle, and it was the worst thing I have ever seen.
Best Team
The Toronto Maple Leafs. That might seem like a very predictable thing for me to say, but I stand by it! The game tonight is postponed, so please enjoy whichever alternate activity you choose to engage in!