Things were looking a bit hairy there as the Leafs had some hot potato going after the Christmas break. Scoring the every so important first goal of the game was not happening as often as it was in the first third of the season. Every team has its up’s and downs; even the best. Treat the Leafs as a stock that is slowly climbing to reach the ultimate goal before they cash in with not only a playoff birth but a quality run and hopefully a taste of the second round or further.
The next 31 games are ever so important for the Maple Leafs. They must stay above .500 and should have a team goal to acquire 100+ points at the end of the season. This should not only lock them into a spot but give them a chance at home ice and potentially a lesser quality opponent in round one. Every point counts, so enough of these third period fur-ball cough-ups it’s time to pick it up for the big stretch after all-star weekend.
Auston Matthews will represent the Leafs in Tampa Bay where the festivities will take place. He’s been banged up a bit this season but is pretty much a point per game player. Auston is surely a fan favorite in Toronto being the skilled player that he is and of course burying forty in his rookie season didn’t hurt his stardom.
For a while there it looked like Rielly or Andersen would have a shot at making the all-star team but Rielly is banged up and the best thing for Andersen right now is to take some rest after starting what, 15 games in a row? That a heavy work load for the Leafs number one tender and him getting some rest before the big run before playoffs is fine by me.
So what needs to happen here for the Leafs to step it up to the next level?
Well for starters Komarov needs to stay on the fourth line where he belongs, I love uncle Leo but it’s time the boys honker down and really get the chemistry marinating before playoffs.
Offensively the Leafs need to get some greasy goals to go along with their nifty goals that we constantly see on the highlight reel. More traffic in front on the power play and some more rebound goals. That’s what playoff hockey is like, not every goal is a gem; so it’s time the Leafs start firing the puck on net and drive it hard. On top of some grinder goals they need to continue to play smart defensively which includes a solid fore-check as well as picking up a guy as they are coming back. Every point counts and it could be two or three points that separate the Buds from home ice advantage or a wildcard spot.
The Leafs were impressive last night on a back to back game where McElhinney was very solid. The Leafs as a whole played a smart game and worked hard for those two points against a Dallas Stars team that was on a nice little run. Crazy part was they did it without their two best defensemen in Rielly and Zaitsev.
Travis Dermott? I like his play, he needs to keep it up and Babcock needs to keep the minutes coming. He should be a sure shot from here on out as the Leafs prospects are ripening up, Dermott being the first Toronto drafted defenseman to break out in quite some time.
Enjoy all-star weekend if you are into that, I will be hitting the slopes at Blue Mountain.
Thanks for reading, have a great weekend!
Go Leafs Go!