Toronto Maple Leafs to Play Outside and a Standings Update

The rare Saturday Night without Toronto Maple Leafs hockey is upon us.

I am not sure the schedule makers understand how ingrained Saturday Night Toronto Maple Leafs games are to the people who follow the team, or else they wouldn’t withhold them like this.

I’m sorry but I lost interest in outdoor games about a decade ago.  At this point outdoor games have all the novelty of a game played at the ACC without fans.  Besides, Sunday afternoon is no time to watch hockey.

And this one’s against Buffalo? What were they thinking when they came up with that?  They could at least have scheduled a competitive opponent.

Memo to whoever is listening:  We do not consider an outdoor game on a Sunday afternoon to be a fair trade for a loss of a Saturday night game.

Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL Standings

The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently one point behind Tampa, and six points behind Florida.  The Panthers have won five in a row, but their goaltending is no more reliable than the Leafs, and the Leafs have a significantly better roster, so the Atlantic Title is very much in play.

Boston, however, is only four points back of the Leafs, and are, as predicted, still one of the NHL’s best teams despite their early season struggles.

Of course I don’t expect many people to see beyond the standings (or Tampa’s two recent cups) but I think that Toronto and Boston are the two best teams in the Atlantic right now and in the future.

The Hurricanes are tied with Florida, and Freddie Andersen is due to turn back into a pumpkin at any moment, which means an Eastern Conference title is still within reach for the Leafs.

Even if the Leafs were to stumble and be a Wild Card team, there is zero chance of missing the playoffs – Toronto is 19 points and a game-in-hand ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

As for the elusive President’s Trophy, the Toronto Maple Leafs are eight points back of the Avalanche, who themselves are likely to eventually hit a cold streak, and the Leafs have a game in hand.

Not likely, but doable.

So, in conclusion, the Leafs are fifth overall and still have a decent shot at the Atlantic, Eastern and NHL regular season titles.  I remain confident that Jack Campbell is the goalie who will take them to the glory land and that their is no need to acquire anyone else to play net.