The Toronto Maple Leafs’ cinderella story continued last night, as they beat the top team in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2. The game was the second half of a back to back that saw the Leafs also beat the Pittsburgh Penguins by the same score. The two consecutive victories puts the Leafs 4 points back of the 7th place Carolina Hurricanes, and 3 points behind the 8th place New York Rangers. They are 1 point back of the Buffalo Sabres, though the Sabres have two games in hand.
The Leafs remarkable playoff drive began after the All-Star break, as the team has gone 10-2-4 since then, collecting points at a 0.750% clip. As the calendar turned to 2011, the Leafs found themselves 14 back of the playoff picture at one point but have managed to close that gap to just 3 points, passing the Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators and Atlanta Thrashers in that span.
What makes this even more remarkable is the fact that the Leafs were largely sellers in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, dispensing of veteran blueliners Tomas Kaberle and Francois Beauchemin, while sending off-season acquisition Kris Versteeg to the Flyers. In their absence, the Leafs acquired Joffrey Lupul and called up Keith Aulie from the Marlies. Tomas Kaberle’s minutes have been split between Dion Phaneuf, Carl Gunnarsson, Mike Komisarek and Brett Lebda.
With both Beauchemin and Kaberle out of the picture, the Leafs defensive group had to shoulder a heavy burden, and they’ve done so admirably. Captain Phaneuf is playing his best hockey of the season, getting more active and more involved in the play, and it’s the steadying presence of his new linemate Keith Aulie that enables him to do so. Phaneuf was involved in both game winning goals in the last two games in addition to scoring the game tying goal last night. Aulie, Luke Schenn and Mike Komisarek have played a more physical brand of hockey.
Phil Kessel, who had his 8 game point streak snapped last night, has been a completely different player since scoring against his former club, the Boston Bruins, a few weeks ago. Kessel netted two goals, both to tie the game, setting the stage for Mikhail Grabovski’s winner late in the third. The Leafs then followed that up with a win over the Sabres in Buffalo, a feat they had accomplished just once in their last 14 tries. Kessel’s streak saw him net 8 goals and 5 assists in that time frame, including 4 power play goals and 1 game winner. He was also the first star of the game against Montreal in which he had a 4 point night.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention the play of rookie netminder James Reimer, who took over the team lead in wins with last night’s victory. Reimer’s steady play and calm demeanor has been a boon for the Leafs this season, as he has posted a 12-4-3 record, with a 2.28 GAA and a save percentage of 0.929, second only to Boston’s Tim Thomas in that category. Reimer has gone 7-0-3 in his last 10 games.
Many are quick to point out that this is a common Leaf trend in recent years. Since the lockout that ended the 2004-2005 season, the Leafs have played better than 0.500 hockey after the all star break. Their best run was in 2005-2006, when they went 14-8-3 to close out the season, or a 0.620 winning percentage. What makes this season different, however, is that this is not the same team that was playing for the Leafs in December.
James Reimer was called up in December but didn’t see significant game action until the turn of the calendar. He is the man most responsible for the Leafs recent success. Keith Aulie was also called up earlier in December but saw limited minutes in 12 games before being returned. He was recalled after the Francois Beauchemin trade and has been a force on the blue line since. The departure of Tomas Kaberle for Boston has negatively affected the Leafs power play, but Beauchemin and Kaberle were among the league leaders in turnovers. Neither played that well defensively and you’re seeing the results of that now as the Leafs team goals against has taken a sharp drop since their departure.
How long this run lasts, and whether they can make the post season is anybody’s guess at this point, as the Leafs will face one of the hottest teams in the West on Saturday night as the Chicago Blackhawks visit the ACC for the only time this year. If 90 points is the pace that the final playoff teams in the Eastern Conference are on, the Leafs would have to produce a record similar to 11-5-1 in their last 17 to hit that total, a winning pace of 0.676%.
Given their recent performance, a span of 16 games, it’s certainly not out of the question for the Leafs to achieve this goal. They may have a few tough opponents remaining on the schedule, like Philadelphia, Detroit, Tampa and Boston, but the Leafs have proven they have what it takes to compete with those clubs. So pull out the extra bandwagon and buckle up, this is gonna be one hell of a ride.
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Born and raised in Northern Ontario but currently living in Toronto, Tyler wouldn't have it any other way. Home to his two favourite sports teams, Tyler revels in the day to day sports experience that is Toronto. 