"Following an admirable enough 2-1-1 road trip, the Leafs returned home and essentially laid an egg. They are 0-3-1 during the current homestand, and three of those games were basically decided in the first period. The Leafs would need to beat the surging Buffalo Sabres - a tall task in and of itself - just to grab three of 10 points at home."
"There is now a sizeable five-point gap between the Leafs and the final wildcard spot and two additional teams between them and the final spot, one of whom is a surging Florida Panthers, who just returned Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand to their lineup - hardly a team the Leafs can easily leapfrog, and the Panthers aren't even in a playoff spot right now themselves."
"There are some fair caveats to note - namely, the Leafs played all of those games without their leading scorer, William Nylander (who is leading them in scoring by a significant points-per-game margin, as Auston Matthews continues to hover well below the Mendoza line as the second-highest-paid player in the league). Plus, their best defenseman has essentially missed the entire season (Chris Tanev). Those are two significant losses that would crater most teams in the league."
A two-plus week stretch consisting of a four-game road trip and a five-game homestand has become decisive for the Maple Leafs' season. The team went 2-1-1 on the road but followed with a 0-3-1 homestand, with three games essentially decided in the first period. The Leafs face a five-point gap to the final wildcard and now trail additional teams, including a resurging Florida Panthers. The power play improved after dismissing Marc Savard, producing a 7-0-2 stretch that lacked wins over most playoff teams. Significant absences include leading scorer William Nylander and defenseman Chris Tanev, compounding offensive and defensive shortfalls.
Read at Maple Leafs Hotstove
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