The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have the most stellar numbers in the NHL, but they don’t need them. Currently in second place in the Atlantic Division, as I write this and not far behind the division-leading Florida Panthers, the Leafs have been consistent enough to get the best of their opponents on most nights.
But, what stats have defined the way this season has gone to date, and how can we explain why Toronto has been a very, very solid team with the chance to become more when the NHL heads into its second half? Let’s look at three statistical categories and find the answer.
Solid with and without the puck
One set of numbers that jump out for the Maple Leafs is where they stand at midseason in goals for vs. goals against. No, they’re not in the top 10 in either category, but they’re a top-15 team in both, sitting 12th in goals scored with 108 and 13th in goals against with 98.
They’re not the greatest numbers out there, but they also show us that this year’s version of the Leafs is a more well-balanced hockey team. They’re not lacking productivity on either side of the ice, and that’s something that can play to their advantage later in the season and when the playoffs roll around.
Above average in shooting and save percentage
Looking at the Leafs 5-on-5 numbers, it further tells us that they’re also keeping up with the rest of the league at getting pucks into the net. Sure, 8.4 percent is only slightly better than the league average of 8.2, but the Leafs are making the most of their opportunities despite finding themselves under 50 percent in areas like Corsi For and High-Danger Chances For.
Flip over to save percentage, and Toronto is rocking and rolling at 0.932, one of the better numbers in hockey while the rest of the NHL, is struggling to keep up with a 0.918. In all situations, they’re facing about 29.12 shots per game, a number that could be lower, but solid goaltending has been a theme so far.
Special teams have been above average to excellent
Technically, the Maple Leafs power play percentage of 20.39 is about a half-percent lower than the league average, but they’ve been good enough. The Leafs can keep rolling with that number for the rest of the season, and I doubt many fans would take much exception to it.
But their penalty kill has been outrageous, stopping opponents’ chances 82.46 percent of the time. That’s about 3.3 percent better than the NHL average, and if teams can’t take advantage of the Leafs when they’re a man down, good luck trying to beat this team at 5-on-5 when they’re 100 percent healthy again.