Without getting into the nitty gritty, it’s pretty tough to argue that the Tampa Bay Lightning won’t be finishing first place in the Atlantic Division. Actually, I’d be willing to bet they finish top of the Eastern Conference and even first in the National Hockey League for that matter.

But what I do see next in line is our beloved Toronto Maple Leafs.

Last season Toronto finished third place in the Division with 100 points. If you recall the Buds had a mediocre finish to the season; going 3-4-3 in their last ten games; they really didn’t have a lot of momentum going into the playoffs. Let’s hope this year is different and the boys are crushing the opponents as the season winds down and are sinking their toes into some home ice for game one.

With that being said the blue and white will have to win at home with a bit more regularity next season. Seems both Boston and Tampa had a better win/loss ratio at home and that’s what the difference was in the standings between the Leafs and Bruins.

The boys had no issues all season putting the puck in the back of the net. They scored 286 goals which ranked second in the Division and fourth in the NHL. Both Calgary and San Jose had 289 goals and Tampa crushed everyone with 325. It was goals against that hurt the Leafs, and it certainly wasn’t Frederik Andersen’s fault; he kept the Leafs in games they shouldn’t have been in. It was obvious the defense was still lacking overall and Dubas shored that up this off season. Will this be the difference maker in the standings to give the Leafs home-ice advantage? I think so.

Believe it or not, I don’t even have the Bruins ranked top three this season. I’m going with a bit of a stretch here but I think Montreal is going to finish with more points than Boston with a healthy Price and Weber to go along with this rebuilt crop of forwards. Montreal finished with 96 points last season; they actually had a better home ice record than Toronto but seemed to really struggle on the road. I’m certainly not a fan of either team, so whoever we square off with in round one I sure hope it’s the Leafs laying a home ice beat down.

I do see the Bruins in the playoffs however, in a wild card position. Win, lose, whatever; this will be the Leafs season as they have improved, matured and will be prepared now with more experience and hunger to get this first round wall behind us all.

Without Question Florida will be in the hunt for a wildcard spot; although I can’t see both Boston and Florida filling the two wildcard spots. But I’d say it’s a safe bet that Florida is a much improved team with a legit number one goaltender.

After Florida I see Buffalo right behind them as they improved in some areas but may have taken a step backwards in the goaltending department. Unfortunately for Wings and Senators fans; I still see them both at the bottom of the Division. Senators will be struggling for a few years to come.

All in all, the Leafs are on the uptrend and the key this season is not giving away points that we should have won. Playing a full 60 minutes in every game will pay off when the regular season ends and home ice is ours!

Where do you see the Leafs finishing the season?

Thanks for reading, enjoy your day.

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