Toronto Maple Leafs Play 4 Times This Week and Sign a New Player

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 4-2-1 since the Trade Deadline despite less than ideal play that has saw them be the worst team by expected-goals during this time.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are off tonight, but will resume against the Islanders tomorrow night.

They will play Florida Thursday, Carolina Saturday and Nashville on Sunday to round out the week.

After that there will only be nine games until the playoffs.  They play two back-to-backs the rest of the way, and play the red hot Florida Panthers three times.

Toronto Maple Leafs News and Notes

The Leafs are currently fourth in the NHL with a .674 points percentage. Boston remains almost 20 points ahead, but the Carolina Hurricanes are only five points up in second place overall (they do have a game in hand, however).

The Leafs are three points up on Tampa with two games in hand for home-ice during the first round of the playoffs.

Tampa has a 13 point lead on the Panthers for 3rd place, so baring one of the craziest finishes of all-time, that ain’t happening.   In baseball terms (better standings) the Panthers are five games back with 13 games to go.

Even if Florida went 13-0, as long as the Lightning went 8-3 they’d only tie.  If Florida is anything less than perfect it’s almost impossible –  if they go 10-3, which is awesome, the Lightning just need to go 5-6 to hold them off.   Not happening.

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The most points Florida can get is 103, so any combination of the Leafs winning and Florida losing points that adds up to 11 will clinch the Leafs a playoff spot.

Any combination of three points won for the Leafs or lost by the Senators will prevent them from catching Toronto.

With Buffalo that number is four.

The Leafs announced this morning they signed Johnny Tychonick, a former second rounder from 2018 who is 23 now and played this year in the NCAA.  They signed him to an AHL contract so they still have room to bring in Matt Knies.

The Leafs drafted nine players in 2018 and six of them have already made the NHL, at least for a game or two.  They went five for six if you don’t count the last round, so that is impressive even if they have already traded Rasmus Sandin and Sean Durzi.

Another 2018 pick is good news though since the Leafs have been pretty lucky with that year so far.

As for Ilya Samsonov, he practiced and does not appear hurt, although it hasn’t been said if he’ll miss tomorrow’s game or not. Considering it is now the hockey pool playoffs and he’s my main goalie, let’s hope he suits up against the Islanders, although it’s doubtful that he will.