The Toronto Maple Leafs have not won a game in regulation since February 28, but expect that to change on Thursday night against the Florida Panthers.
The Florida Panthers are, in my opinion, the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, especially after what they accomplished at the NHL Trade Deadline. After going to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, the reigning champs are hungry for another title, adding Seth Jones and Brad Marchand, making their team even scarier than it was.
The Leafs added Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo, which would have been a big news story in year's past, but the Marchand, Jones and Mikko Rantanen deals trumped those this season. Although the Leafs roster looks much more balanced than it has in year's past, Leafs Nation is very pessmistic that it'll be good enough to win a championship.
We can fastforward to April and look at the potential playoff match-up's, but there's still a ton of hockey left and a lot to play for down the stretch. Florida may be the favourite to win the Atlantic Division, but the Leafs are only two games back, despite playing their worst hockey of the year.
It feels unexpected at this point, after how Toronto has played over the last three weeks, but there is still a legitimate chance that Toronto pulls off the division and it starts on Thursday with a home game against the Panthers.
Speaking of home, I think the Leafs have been struggling over the past three weeks because they've been away from home. The Four Nations Tournament provided a break for most of the Leafs, except for their best three players. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander have all essentially been on the road since January 29, as the team has only played two homes in that span.
Leafs home stretch will be huge for them
That's a long time on the road for the Leafs best players, and it could be a reason why the team has struggled over the past three weeks. The team hasn't had much issues scoring, but instead it's been their defense that has let them down. After continuing to secure early leads, the Leafs have continued to lose control of the game into the second and third period, resulting in three overtime games in their last seven match-up's.
After almost blowing another game to Utah on Monday night, the team is now home until March 19, before heading out to New York and Nashville for an incredible two-game road trip. The team may be back on the road in eight days, but I think they'll be pretty happy to play in two of the best night-life cities in the NHL.
With a four-game stretch against Florida, Colorado, Ottawa and Calgary, it's not going to be an easy four games, but I do expect the Leafs to win all four, or at least finish 3-1. They're still a really good team but desperately needed some home cooking and time in their own beds to get back to normal.
There are only 19 games left in the NHL season and it's time to buckle up. If the team can beat the Panthers on Thursday night, it could signal the beginning of a fun stretch and the team's first Atlantic Division title in almost 25 years.