Another defensive gem from the Toronto Maple Leafs has them on the precipice of reigniting the Battle of Ontario. On Sunday afternoon, Toronto's 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes moved the Maple Leafs within a single point of clinching first place in the Atlantic Division.
Coupled with the Ottawa Senators' overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers, it's a safe bet for fans of both teams to start preparing for a new installment of provincial bragging rights. Any combination of the Tampa Bay Lightning losing in overtime or regulation and the Leafs gaining a point in either team's final two games of the regular season will see the Leafs clinch their first (non-pandemic) division title since the 1999-2000 season.
The Senators are now assured of finishing as the first wild card team in the Easter Conference. The Leafs now have an over ninety percent chance of winning the division and earning the number two seed in the conference. (Statistics courtesy of moneypuck.com)
With playoff positioning nearly clarified, the Maple Leafs will now use the last week of season as preparation for upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs, and a likely first-round matchup against the Sens.
The Toronto Maple Leafs inch closer to clinching the Atlantic Division
The Maple Leafs used a game plan similar to Saturday night's 1-0 overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs rebounded from a slow start in Carolina (only one shot on net until late in the first period) to gain momentum from an unlikely source. Pontus Holmberg's 7th goal of the season with under a minute remaining in the first gave Toronto a spark that carried over into the second period.
Halfway through the second period, Auston Matthews put the Leafs ahead 2-0 with his 31st goal of the season and 399th of his career. This week, he will look to join Mats Sundin as the only Toronto players to reach 400 goals with the franchise.
Mitch Marner gathered an assist on the goal to put him within a point of reaching the century mark for the first time in his career. The Lightning's victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday and a division title still to be clinched increase the chances that head coach Craig Berube gives Marner and Matthews one more game to reach their personal milestones.
William Nylander added a nifty tip of a Max Domi pass early in the third period for his 45th goal of the season, allowing the Leafs to cruise to a mostly stress-free win. The Hurricanes got their only goal at the tail end of a four-minute power play after a double-minor (two minutes for high-sticking and two minutes for tripping on the same play) to defenseman Chris Tanev.
The Maple Leafs again put up a wall around their goaltender, just like in the game against the Canadiens. They recorded another 18 blocked shots (to the Hurricanes' 5), while goaltender Joseph Woll made 25 saves in the win.
It was the Leafs 50th win of the season, only the third time in franchise history they have reached that number. Each of the occasions has occurred during the Core 4 era, all within the last five seasons.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have bigger goals. First is the formality of clinching the Atlantic Division. Next comes preparation for a likely renewed Battle of Ontario and carrying the team's regular-season success to the post-season.