Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Keys to Beating the Boston Bruins
By Paul Taylor
As the Toronto Maple Leafs prepare to take on the Boston Bruins, we look at three factors which could decide the outcome at the TD Garden.
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With the All-Star festivities out the way, the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans can now get back to reality. With a record of 1-7-2 in their last 10 games, there is a lot of work to do.
The reality is that finishing near the bottom of the standings again is beneficial to the rebuilding process. However, don’t expect Mike Babcock to go easy on his players.
This will be the fourth of five games between the Leafs and Boston Bruins this season. We look at three factors which will go some way to deciding if they can finally get a first win of the campaign against their Atlantic Division rivals.
1) James Reimer
Trying to work out what to expect from James Reimer has become a task in futility. At times he looks like a world-beater, at others it appears he couldn’t stop a beach ball. (Okay, he’s never that bad, but you get the point.)
Fortunately for the Leafs, Reimer is currently looking more like the former. At the All-Star break he was second in the NHL in save percentage and even-strength save percentage, along with eighth for goals against average.
Ironically, it is this form which could see the 27-year old moved before the trade deadline, rather than securing his long-term future in Toronto. Either way, the Leafs will need another standout performance from him if they are to have any chance of beating the Bruins.
2) Coping without JVR
As well as Reimer has played, perhaps the most telling statistic is the one that has him ranked 39th in the NHL for wins. He has just one victory in his last 11 starts, thanks in no small part to the Leafs scoring just 15 goals.
Certainly, the loss of James van Riemsdyk has had a big effect on the chemistry of the team, going 1-7 and scoring just 10 goals in those eight games. For comparison, Toronto won five of their previous eight with JVR in the lineup, with him contributing four goals and five assists.
The Leafs are expected to be without the winger for another three-five weeks. As such, somebody is going to have to step up in his absence, starting in Boston.
3) The lack of home-ice advantage
The Bruins enter the post All-Star break in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Interestingly though, it is their superior record on the road which has put them in this position.
It’s a different story at home, where Boston are used to enjoying a decided advantage over the opposition. This season, they are just 11-13-2 at the TD Garden.
This may mean little, given that the Leafs are 0-2 in Boston so far this season. However, they can at least enter the contest with the confidence that a trip to the Garden is nothing to be intimidated by.
What do you expect from the Leafs against the Bruins? Let us know in the comments section below.