"The Toronto Maple Leafs enter the Christmas break in a difficult position. They sit last in the Atlantic Division and second-last in the Eastern Conference. Despite how bleak that sounds, the margin is not insurmountable. Toronto is just five points out of a Wild Card spot and six points back of a divisional playoff position. A strong two-week stretch could quickly pull the Leafs back into the postseason conversation."
"Without a good special teams, it will be very hard to win games. Their power play can win them hockey games and keep them in games when they are not scoring five on five. The Maple Leafs problem is that they are not doing either, so it's almost impossible to win games unless your goaltenders only allow one goal a game. Special teams remain the most urgent issue."
The Toronto Maple Leafs sit last in the Atlantic Division and second-last in the Eastern Conference but stand only five points from a Wild Card and six from a divisional playoff spot. General manager Brad Treliving has made changes, including relieving assistant coach Marc Savard, in response to the team having the NHL's worst power play. Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua, and Matias Maccelli have shown positive signs, and Chris Tanev returned after 23 games, stabilizing the defense. The power play and overall five-on-five scoring remain urgent problems, and the team needs stronger performances from its stars to regain competitiveness.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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