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The Toronto Maple Leafs are in second place in the Atlantic Division with 31 points and have to be considered a success this season, but with two winning streaks and a lengthy losing streak in the first 25 games, their lack of consistency has to be area of concern.
By looking at the statistical breakdown of the club during their roller coaster ride so far, the reason for their success and failure is multi-faceted and cannot be narrowed down to one particular aspect.
October 4 to October 18 (6-1-0)
Home – 3-1-0 Road – 3-0-0 Goals For – 34 (4.85 GPG) Goals Against – 22 (3.14 GPG)
Leading scorers: Matthews – 10 pts. (6G, 4A) Kadri – 8 pts. (4G, 4A) Van Riemsdyk – 7 pts. (4G, 3A) Nylander – 7 pts. (2G, 5A) Rielly – 7 pts. (1G, 6A)
Goaltending: Andersen – 5-1-0, 3.14 GAA, .899 save % McElhinney – 1-0-0, 3.00 GAA, .909 save %
Special Teams: Power play – 30% (9 for 30 – 2nd in NHL) Penalty Killing – 83.3% (25 for 30 – 8th in NHL)
The Leafs were at the top of the NHL in goal scoring and special teams, which covered up their loose defensive play and the slow start of Frederik Andersen. It was highly entertaining to watch Toronto play a wide-open brand of hockey, but it was hardly sustainable and not what head coach Mike Babcock had in mind.
October 21 to November 4 (2-6-0)
Home – 1-2-0 Road – 1-4-0 Goals For – 23 (2.87 GPG) Goals Against – 33 (4.12 GPG)
Leading scorers: Matthews – 8 pts. (4G, 4A) Brown – 5 pts. (3G, 2A) Martin – 5 pts. (1G, 4A) Hainsey – 5 pts. (0G, 5A) Marleau – 4 pts. (2G, 2A)
Goaltending: Andersen – 2-5-0, 3.78 GAA, .891 save % McElhinney – 0-1-0, 5.26 GAA, .821 save %
Special Teams: Power play – 15% (3 for 20 – 23rd in NHL) Penalty Killing – 77.3% (17 for 22 – 22nd in NHL)
Strength of schedule and home/road breakdowns are always variables, but the Leafs scoring went down nearly two goals-per-game during their losing skid, their goals allowed increased and both special teams units dropped into the 20’s after both had been near the top of the league.
Matt Martin being one of the clubs top scorers during this period is another indicator that normally dependable offensive performers were not carrying their weight.
November 6 to November 18 (6-0-0)
Home – 4-0-0 Road – 2-0-0 Goals For – 22 (3.66 GPG) Goals Against – 8 (1.33 GPG)
Leading scorers: Kadri – 7 pts. (4G, 3A) Marner – 7 pts. (1G, 6A) Van Riemsdyk – 6 pts. (5G, 1A) Rielly – 6 pts. (1G, 5A) Marleau – 6 pts. (3G, 2A)
Goaltending: Andersen – 5-0-0, 1.36 GAA, .960 save % McElhinney – 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .974 save %
Special Teams: Power play – 15.8% (3 for 19 – 20th in NHL) Penalty Killing – 84.2% (16 for 19 – 17th in NHL)
The main reason for the Leafs winning streak was goalie Frederik Andersen, who won five of their six games. Toronto’s offense picked up, they did not see any great improvement in their special teams, but their goals allowed dropped from 4.12 to 1.33 goals-per-game
November 20 to November 25 (1-2-1)
Home – 0-2-0 Road – 1-0-1 Goals For – 9 (2.25 GPG) Goals Against – 14 (3.5 GPG)
Leading scorers: Van Riemsdyk – 3 pts. (2G, 1A) Gardiner – 3 pts. (1G, 2A) Kadri – 3 pts. (1G, 2A) Marleau – 2 pts. (1G, 1A) Hainsey – 2 pts. (1G, 1A)
Goaltending: Andersen – 1-1-1, 2.29 GAA, .941 save % McElhinney – 0-1-0, 3.10 GAA, .850 save %
Special Teams: Power play – 28.6% (2 for 7 – 10th in NHL) Penalty Killing – 75.0% (9 for 12 – 16th in NHL)
A similar trend to their first losing skid, in spite of Andersen continuing to play well, the Leafs are having trouble generating offense. With the 4-2 loss to Washington on Saturday, the Leafs have lost three of their last four games and now embark on a difficult road swing through Western Canada this week.
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