Leafs fans—the Benchwarmer hates to be the bearer of bad news, but with less than 10 games remaining, the boys in the white and blue need to turn their game around to solidify their slippery grip on the first Eastern Conference wild card spot. With the regular season wrapping up and three teams right on their heels, the Leafs need to win the majority of their games in regulation to punch their ticket to the postseason.
As it stands, the Leafs are sitting at 80 points with 10 games to play. Detroit, currently at 79 points, has one additional game to play, while Columbus and Washington have 78 and 77 points respectively, each with 10 games left respectively. If any of these teams catch fire over the next couple of weeks, Toronto could be in trouble if they are not able to win at least as many games as their pursuers in the standings.
Looking at the Atlantic division, Toronto’s historic nemesis, the Montreal Canadiens, are holding down third place with 83 points. The two teams are playing as I write this article (it’s 2-0 Montreal with 10 minutes remaining in the first period). If the Leafs are able to win, they cash in a valuable two points putting them within one win of Montreal. On the other, if they lose, Montreal will have widened the gap to three games.
Besides Montreal, the Leafs will face several difficult teams in their final regular-season games. Among them are the Western Conference-leading St. Louis Blues, the Detroit Red Wings, and what is perhaps the most hated team in Toronto since last year, the Boston Bruins. However, there are a few games that represent relatively easy points in the Senators, the Jets, the Flames, and the Panthers. Unfortunately, the Leafs have consistently squandered these “easy-point” opportunities earlier in the season, appearing to reserve their best efforts for quality teams. Though of course this is not a bad thing, the Leafs need to make the most of every game and treat these easier opponents as if they were quality playoff teams.
Though the Leafs have lost each of their past three games, there is certainly opportunity for a turnaround. One could arguably blame the skid on the loss of their starting goaltender, Jonathan Bernier, to a groin injury. Bernier has taken shots in practice and is feeling better, but wants to make sure he is 100-percent before getting back in the net. Carlyle had him down as a game-time decision for the game against Montreal, however struggling backup James Reimer wound up getting the start. In spite of this, Bernier should be ready to go this week if all goes well.
In other news from the injury front, centre Dave Bolland is finally back after suffering a severed tendon back in November. The Leafs are in dire need of a spark, and the return of the veteran centre to the lineup may be just that. Bolland is one of the Leafs’ most defensively responsible forwards and has proven his ability to come through in the clutch, scoring the winning goal in last season’s Stanley Cup final. He skated in practice with wingers David Clarkson and Mason Raymond; they are expected to form the third forward line to finish off the season. Who knows? Maybe Bolland’s return will help Clarkson find his game in what has been a dismal season for the former Devils’ winger following the signing of his enormously over-valued contract last off-season.
Bottom line: to secure a playoff spot, the Leafs are going to need all hands on deck and likely a little help from their pursuers’ opponents. With two players coming back from injury, including their go-to goalie, on paper the Leafs should be able to hang on, but one can never be sure. We say that anything can happen in the playoffs—and let’s be honest: In a lot of ways, the playoff race is just like the playoffs themselves. Every game matters. Watch carefully Leafs fans, it’s going to be a close one!
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