| Feeling Blue |
14 Games Remaining...Can They Do It?
03/06/08Can they really make the Playoffs? Maybe! Maybe Not! We all want to beLeaf, but sometimes, one has to be realistic. Like life, we never know what to expect. I always play devil's advocate, so here are my two sides of the coin for the Leafs. Positive side of the coin The Leafs were on a wild streak, led by Captain Mats Sundin. Previous to the New Jersey game on Tuesday, the Leafs were 6-1-1 in their last 8 games. They obtained 13 out of a possible 16 points in that stretch. In those 8 games, the Leafs played like true contenders. Goaltender Vesa Toskala was stellar, as well as the rest of the team. It seems like the trade-deadline drama, lit a fire under Mats Sundin and he has responded with points and aspirations of heading into the playoffs. With 14 games left, anything can happen. They currently sit in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with 68 points, trailing 8th place Philadelphia by 6 points. Negative side of the coin The Leafs have a tendency to flounder near the end of the season, when it matters the most. For the last several years they have been within a few points of making the playoffs. They put themselves into this position and have had a lot of trouble making up for the lost ground. Vesa Toskala has started in net for the last 18 games and 24 out of the last 25 games. Fatigue will be a factor, sooner rather than later, I would assume. So we turn to Andrew Raycroft, who has a record of 2-8-4 with a scary 4.07 Goals-against-average. He did have 37 wins last season, but that desire to win must have left when he lost his #1 job to Toskala. We must also take into account that the Leafs have problems with their Defence as well as their special teams units. The starting 6 defencemen have a plus/minus rating of minus 22 and Toronto has allowed 63 power play goals - only Carolina has allowed more, with 66 against. Their powerplay is ranked 24th in the league, with the Leafs only scoring on 15.8% of their opportunities. If you want to be a playoff team, your special teams units must perform a hell of a lot better than they have to this point. The Final Facts - All of their final 14 games are against teams in the Eastern Conference. They play Boston and Buffalo three times, Montreal, Ottawa and Philly twice. They play against New Jersey and the New York Islanders, once. These final 14 games WILL decide their fate. - This year, the Leafs have a 26-22-10 record against teams in the Eastern Conference. - They have won 6 out of their last 10 games. They still sit 6 points out of the playoffs. - If we beLeaf, we could make the playoffs. Playoff bound, with fire in their eyes, Sundin and Co. are determined to give us a reason to cheer…GO LEAFS GO!                |