Leafs fans! It seems like the Leafs are off to a mighty good start this season! They are first in their division, tied with Tampa Bay and with Detroit and Boston right on their heels. Though the Leafs were projected to be likely candidate for the playoffs, nobody expected them to lead their division. So what has led them to such success thus far? Let’s find out.
Kessel and van Riemsdyk: The One-Two Punch…
Top–liners Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk lead the team with 13 points apiece. In spite of the recent absence of their regular centre Tyler Bozak due to injury, both have kept up the point production in the past several games, keeping the leafs out of trouble on the scoring end of things.
Depth on the front lines…
Though the Leafs continue to rely on their top line for the majority of their points, one can’t discount centre Nazem Kadri and winger Joffrey Lupul who each have 13 and 11 points respectively. Mason Raymond and Dave Bolland have also been a reservoir of somewhat unexpected points, for a combined 21 points to date. Bolland seems to have kept up his go-ahead, game-winning and overtime heroics (remember last year’s Stanley Cup final?) giving the Leafs the edge in games critics would argue, they really ought not to have won.
D are pinching in…
In addition to strong production from the forwards, Cody Franson and Dion Phaneuf have been serious point contributors from the back end. Though Franson has not actually scored any goals, his 10 assists on the season so far demonstrate his offensive value to the team—having that fourth person jumping up on the rush opens up a far more dangerous threat to the opposition than just a couple of forwards. If you’re lucky, you won’t get hit with that laser of a shot from the blue line.
WHAT A STOP! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!!!!!!!!
In an article last winter, I said the Leafs would need a wall between the posts if they had any hope of getting anywhere. Well fans, it wasn’t a problem, as goaltender James Reimer had a fantastic latter half of last years season and a phenomenal playoff despite the eventual agonizing loss. But let us forget about the past!
This year we not only have Reimer on his game (2.36 GAA), but we also have another quality goalie in Jonathan Bernier. With the Leafs, Bernier has maintained a stellar 2.17 GAA in eleven games. This offseason acquisition was a complete bargain!
Well Leafs fans, that pretty much sums it up—the Leafs are truly playing as a team this year. The question now: Can they keep it up? If yes, we could have a serious Canadian contender in the East this year… and we know it’s good not to lay all Canadian NHL playoff hopes on Luongo and those Canucks, don’t we?
Leave a Reply