Toronto Maple Leafs: Comparing remaining schedule to other contenders

We compare the strength of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ remaining games to the other contenders jostling for position in the Eastern Conference behind the Tampa Bay Lightening.

At one point this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked all but certain to secure second place in the Atlantic division and maybe even challenge the Tampa Bay Lightening for top spot. How times have changed.

Starting with a 4-0 thumping at the hands of the New York Islanders on Dec. 29, the Leafs have been an extremely inconsistent team. Over the last 21 games, they have a record of 10-9-2.

As a result, the Boston Bruins have now overtaken Toronto for second place in the division, while the Montreal Canadiens are sneaking ever closer to them in the standings. And this is before we even look at the overall current seedings in the Eastern Conference.

We’re not suggesting the Leafs are going to miss out on the playoffs altogether. However, any comfort they may have felt — not that coach Mike Babcock would ever allow this per se — has now all but disappeared.

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Suddenly, with effectively one quarter of the regular season remaining, Toronto needs to regain their previous consistency. If not, they can kiss goodbye to a favourable position come playoff time.

With this in mind, we thought it would be a good time to compare the strength of the Leafs’ remaining schedule, to the other contenders in the East. (Thank you to Sportsnet‘s Michael Hoard, for providing the inspiration for this post.)

We’re not going to include the Lightening, because of how far ahead they are in the standings. However, we will compare the Leafs’ schedule to the Bruins, Canadiens, Islanders, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets.

We will also include the Carolina Hurricanes. Sitting just one point out of a playoff spot entering Thursday’s slate of games, they are the team in the best position to break into the top eight.

(Sorry Buffalo Sabres fans but — as much as we would like to see them return to the playoffs — you know it’s going to end once again in disappointment for your team.)

Leafs:

• Games remaining – 23
• Home games remaining – 12
• Away games remaining – 11
• Back-to-backs remaining – 4
• Games remaining vs. current playoff teams – 9
• Eastern Conference games remaining – 17
• Combined average points of remaining opponents – 67.27

Bruins:

• Games remaining – 21
• Home games remaining – 10
• Away games remaining – 11
• Back-to-backs remaining – 2
• Games remaining vs. current playoff teams – 11
• Eastern Conference games remaining – 17
• Combined average points of remaining opponents – 67.21

Canadiens:

• Games remaining – 22
• Home games remaining – 9
• Away games remaining – 13
• Back-to-backs remaining – 4
• Games remaining vs. current playoff teams – 10
• Eastern Conference games remaining – 17
• Combined average points of remaining opponents – 67.11

Islanders:

• Games remaining – 23
• Home games remaining – 12
• Away games remaining – 11
• Back-to-backs remaining – 3
• Games remaining vs. current playoff teams – 11
• Eastern Conference games remaining – 17
• Combined average points of remaining opponents – 65.50

Capitals:

• Games remaining – 22
• Home games remaining – 10
• Away games remaining – 12
• Back-to-backs remaining – 2
• Games remaining vs. current playoff teams – 9
• Eastern Conference games remaining – 20
• Combined average points of remaining opponents – 67.36

Penguins:

• Games remaining – 22
• Home games remaining – 12
• Away games remaining – 10
• Back-to-backs remaining – 3
• Games remaining vs. current playoff teams – 11
• Eastern Conference games remaining – 17
• Combined average points of remaining opponents – 67.64

Blue Jackets:

• Games remaining – 23
• Home games remaining – 11
• Away games remaining – 12
• Back-to-backs remaining – 6
• Games remaining vs. current playoff teams – 13
• Eastern Conference games remaining – 16
• Combined average points of remaining opponents – 67.38

Hurricanes:

• Games remaining – 22
• Home games remaining – 11
• Away games remaining – 11
• Back-to-backs remaining – 5
• Games remaining vs. current playoff teams – 14
• Eastern Conference games remaining – 15
• Combined average points of remaining opponents – 68.44

Okay, so what did we learn from all of this? Well, first things first, the Bruins and Capitals are in the excellent position of having the fewest back-to-back games remaining, with two each; this is important, when considering the physical toll on players’ bodies during a long, hard season.

The Islanders have the lowest average combined points of all remaining opponents, at 65.50. However, it’s tough to put too much into this, given how close all eight contenders are in this respect.

Where the Leafs do best is in the fact that — along with the Capitals — they have the fewest games remaining against current playoff teams, with nine. Toronto is also tied with the Penguins and Islanders for most home games remaining, with all three having 12 left on their respective schedules.

Essentially, by breaking down all eight contenders’ remaining schedules, it sums up the current standings. In other words, it’s too close to call and could go down to the wire when it comes to clarifying seeding positions for the playoffs.

For the Leafs specifically, they don’t get to play the Bruins again before the end of the regular season. As such, they will need to rely on other teams, if they are to catch up and then overtook them in the Atlantic division.

What is your take on the remaining schedule for the Toronto Maple Leafs? What is your prediction for where they will finish in the Eastern Conference standings? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.