The Maple Leafs and Rangers are both well rested as neither team has played since January seventh. The Leafs are 7-2-1 in their last ten games and the Rangers are 7-3. Both teams have been playing some quality hockey but I feel confident the Leafs are going to give Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist a difficult time. I can recall off the top of my head a few times the King had his crown removed as the Leafs chased him out of the net ending his night early.
That’s the type of start I’m hoping to see tonight as us fans are hungry for action and I can only imagine this young Leafs team is eager to get back at it. With just a couple weeks before All-Star break it’s vital the Leafs continue to rack up points as they want to stay with the Senators and leave the Bruins behind in the dust. Speaking of the Bruins, they lost again last night against the Predators and goaltender Tuukka Rask was injured (severity unknown). This could potentially be a huge hit for the Bruins and a nice little gift from the hockey gods.
The Bruins have played six games more than the Leafs but are only up five points. The Leafs just need to keep playing like they have been and they will cruise swiftly passed the Bruins. With the Eastern Conference being as tight as it is and as quality as it is, the Leafs will likely have to slot into one of the top three positions in the Atlantic if they want a playoff run. Though there is lots of hockey left, I think the competition is only going to increase as the season winds down and things heat up.
Looking at the Leafs schedule for the remainder of January there are a number of games versus Eastern Conference teams. As a matter of fact, seven of the next nine are against teams in the East. This is an important stretch for Toronto as they can really make some ground up on teams that have played more games than them, as there are a number of teams.
It goes without saying the Leafs are on track in their rebuild, perhaps even a little ahead of where most people thought they would be, management included.
We’ve all heard Lou Lamoriello talk about how the Leafs game plan changes daily. It’s the right way of looking at it as some players will impressive and others will fizzle away to the AHL and eventually get traded or lost in the whirling dervish that the NHL is for borderline players. Injuries have been relatively good for the Leafs this year, where the only big so called “losses… are the members of Robidas island. I’m still impressed with how Babcock and the Leafs management team gave guys like Greening, Laich and Michalek a very small window of opportunity before biting the bullet and sending them through waivers.
It would have been a mistake to try and keep these players in the mix all season while young stallions like Connor Brown missed out. Speaking of which, Connor Brown has been excellent lately scoring five goals in his last eight games while also adding in four assists and a +4 rating. Brown-cow is starting to produce like he has at every level. Just like I mentioned at the start of the season, Brown is the type of player Babcock is going to love and he will give it his all every shift. He’s the type of player you want on your team to win championships as he grinds his way to victory sacrificing the body along the way.
Another player with similar talents but a bit less finish is Zach Hyman who is also another Babcock type player. Hyman has been hot lately as well, but purely in the assist column as he’s racked up eight assists in his last nine games. He works hard at winning battles and digging deep in the corners to get the puck on the stick of Auston Matthews. Hyman has been effective and he and Brown are RFA’s by seasons end and I would be shocked if either of them were traded or not resigned.
After tonight’s game against the Rangers the Leafs will be venturing to Ottawa to play against the Senators. The battle of Ontario on Saturday night is always a beauty, let’s hope our Leafs have some gas left in the tank after tonight’s big game. It could also be McElhinney’s first game as a Toronto Maple Leaf, let’s hope he works out better than Enroth!
Enjoy the games! The long wait is finally over, Go Leafs Go!
Thanks for reading, have a fantastic weekend.