Tip of the Tower
Fansided

Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 questions for the upcoming games

By Paul Taylor

TORONTO,ON - DECEMBER 6: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs voices his displeasure to referee Frederick L'Ecuyer #17 over a hit teammate Auston Matthews #34 took against the Detroit Red Wings in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 6, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Red Wings defeated the Maple Leafs 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO,ON - DECEMBER 6: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs voices his displeasure to referee Frederick L'Ecuyer #17 over a hit teammate Auston Matthews #34 took against the Detroit Red Wings in an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 6, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Red Wings defeated the Maple Leafs 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
Toronto Maple Leafs
BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 8: A general view during the second period of the game between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden on December 8, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

3) How will the second-longest road trip of the season play out?

The Leafs were a decent road team during the 2017-18 campaign, with a 20-16-5 record on their travels. For what it’s worth, this worked out as the 12th-best away record among all 31 NHL teams.

This season, the Leafs appear to be even better, as per their away record of 11-4-0 entering Monday’s slate of games. For context and comparison purposes, they have picked up the second-most road points among all teams up to this point.

However, regardless of how good Toronto has been up so far on their travels, they now face a major challenge. The game on Saturday against the Bruins, represented their first of five consecutive road games.

More from Toronto Maple Leafs

(This will be the Leafs’ second-longest road trip of the season. They will play six consecutive road games in a 22-day period, between Feb.10 and Feb. 20.)

As we all know, the road trip didn’t get off to a good start, courtesy of the Bruins winning 6-2. However, it’s just one game; the question is how well the Buds can perform during the remainder of this road trip.

The Leafs will face the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightening, Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils respectively, in the other four games. In theory, Tampa Bay are the only team to be concerned with, as they sit at the top of the overall standings with the most points.

However, the last thing the Leafs can afford to do is take any of their other opponents for granted. And even though you don’t imagine Babcock would let this happen, any one of Carolina, Florida or New Jersey could be a potential trap game.

In addition, just the fact the Leafs are away from home for a considerable period, will play a role. Factors such as all the traveling and not sleeping in your own bed can certainly impact you, no matter how used you are to road games in the NHL.

Ultimately, we still predict the Leafs will finish their road trip with at least a .500 record, if not better. However, it will be interesting to watch how the team handles one of their biggest challenges yet this season.

dark. Next. 4 genuine contenders for end of season awards

What’s your answer to any or all of the questions presented? Are there any other pertinent questions you believe the Toronto Maple Leafs need to respond to in the upcoming slate of games? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Home/Toronto Maple Leafs