The Toronto Maple Leafs have followed a pattern of performances for multiple seasons. They seem to struggle against divisional opponents. Furthermore, the Leafs tend to struggle against opponents who sit in non-playoff positions in the standings. In contrast, the Maple Leafs do great against Western Conference and opponents who sit in playoff positions.
This has been a long-time tale in Toronto and the story continues this season for the Leafs.
Toronto’s Divisional Success
Toronto is currently the joint leader of the Atlantic Division, which is something they haven’t accomplished in recent memory. In the COVID-19-affected season, they were divisional champions. However, because of travel restrictions during the pandemic, the Leafs competed in a Canadian-exclusive division. All seven Canadian teams made up the ‘North Division‘ in the 2020-21 season. The Leafs controlled that campaign during the regular season, putting up 77 points.
However, in a standard season that isn’t hindered by a global pandemic epidemic, Toronto hasn’t clinched the division in a quarter of a century. The last time the Leafs were divisional champions was in the 1999-00 season. That was when Toronto competed in the ‘Northeast Division.’ There were only four other opponents in that division, as opposed to the eight teams in each division nowadays. Aside from the Leafs, the Northeast Division included the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins.
For the last several seasons, the Atlantic Division has been a tough division to play in. Furthermore, in the last six Stanley Cup finals, a team representing the Atlantic Division has been present. The Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning won three Cups in that span. Therefore, Toronto regularly faces tough competition.
This Season Against Divisional Opponents
As mentioned, the Leafs hold the top spot in the division with 40 points in 31 games. Toronto are coming off of two straight games against divisional opponents. The Maple Leafs suffered a loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. However, that game was a win against the Sabres on Sunday. Despite having a comfortable lead on several teams in their division, sometimes, the Leafs find ways to lose games to those opponents.
Dating back to the start of last season, Toronto has a 17-16-4 record against divisional opponents. Despite finishing in the top 10 of the NHL in the last four seasons, the Leafs can’t figure out their regional opponents. This could be a massive reason why Toronto consistently finish second or third in the Atlantic. That forces them to draw tougher opponents in the first round of the playoffs. Ultimately, that leads to the mocking of the constant first-round failures for the Leafs. It all connects.
Toronto has No Problem Against Other Regions
While the Leafs have played below a .500 record within their division over the past two seasons, that is not the case against other teams outside their region. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the Maple Leafs hold a 15-12-5 record against teams in the Metropolitan Division. This season they are 4-4-0, including a loss to the struggling Columbus Blue Jackets and the Pittsburgh Penguins. It is not outstanding, but it is better than their record against their own division. However, nothing compares to how well Toronto perform in inter-conference games.
Against Western Conference opponents, the Leafs are 33-8-3 since the beginning of last season. During this campaign, they’ve topped some good Western Conference teams including the Winnipeg Jets. Toronto handed Winnipeg their first loss of the year and halted the Jets’ 8-0-0 start this season. They also shut out the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 20. Before that, they mustered up a gutsy win over Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in an entertaining contest. Whatever it is, the Maple Leafs have every Western Conference team in their back pocket.
Main Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
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