Are the Toronto Maple Leafs good again?
After a huge win against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs are
right back in the playoff picture. This may sound crazy but the organization's playoff fate could be determined in the next two weeks; good or bad.
After a slow start, every game is important but December may end up being the most critical month of the season as their schedule is very hard. October and November was supposed to be an easy stretch to rack up points, but unfortunately the team faltered due to injuries, so they need to pick up in the pace during the holiday season.
With three wins in their last four games, the Leafs have looked very good. They've allowed two or less goals in those three wins thanks to steady goaltending from Dennis Hildeby and Joseph Woll. Although their defense is still hurt, Troy Stretcher has been a fantastic surprise on the blue-line, while the team's depth has stepped up.
After only registering two goals in the first two months of the season, Dakota Joshua has delivered with goals in back-to-back games, solidifying the third line. When the Leafs signed Joshua, they hoped that they would be getting the player we've seen over the past two games more often than not, but he has struggled for the majority of the season.
Leafs are looking like a playoff team again
However, after goals in multiple games, he could be turning his season around. If you watched one shift of Joshua, you'd look at him as the ideal third line winger, as he's an intimidating force at 6-foot-3, 206 pounds. Pair that with some good hands in front of the net and that's a recipe for success in the bottom six.
After multiple years of playoff failure, the fanbase has wanted a different look to this roster, and we're finally getting that now that the forwards are healthy. The emergence of Easton Cowan has really helped solidify all 12 forwards and a healthy Joseph Woll has helped fill some of the defensive holes.
It's crazy what a few wins can do to our mindset of this team, but all this team has needed all season was above-average goaltending and some bottom-six scoring to make this roster whole. We can talk about how Auston Matthews is struggling, but he's still on-pace for 40 goals, while William Nylander, John Tavares and Matthews Knies are all averaging over a point per game.
The big players get scrutinized when the rest of the team struggles, so now that the rest of the roster is falling into place, this team looks like a legitimate contender again. The rollercoaster ride of a Leafs fan is real, so hopefully the winning continues on Thursday night against the Hurricanes.