April is around the corner and in short, team’s that are in a playoff spot are in the final stretch to be at their best for the most important time of the season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently third in a very competitive Atlantic Division and while they have had some bright spots this season, there are concerns about their play at times, which gives mixed opinions about how they will do in the postseason. While they’re in a playoff spot, there are a few questions that need to be addressed during this final stretch of play for the team. From in goal, to the forwards, here are three questions that need to be addressed in the final weeks leading up to the postseason.
Will it be Samsonov’s or Woll’s Net?
At the start of the season, it was looking like Joseph Woll had assumed the starter role after Ilya Samsonov’s early season struggles. With Woll missing months with a high ankle sprain and even Samsonov being placed on waivers to try and get his game back, questions surrounded the crease as to what was going to happen.
Martin Jones did an admirable job to provide a steady presence until Samsonov found his game. Luckily, he did. Since coming back in mid-January, Samsonov has gone 14-4-1 with a .908 save percentage and a 2.56 goal against average. With a minimum of 500 minutes played, he has a .925 SV% at five-on-five and an .837 high danger save percentage. Much better results than what he saw before being waived. Samsonov has regained his confidence in such a short time and has played like a top goaltender that he has shown to be. He has kept his team in games when they haven’t been as great in front of him, stealing wins and securing meaningful points.
With Woll returning and looking to gain his form back as well. He had two rough games, back-to-back against the Boston Bruins, but looked better against the Arizona Coyotes, Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. The question quickly shifts to who should be the starter come playoff time? Head coach Sheldon Keefe has said that both Samsonov and Woll will get even playing time down this stretch. It goes without saying, whoever plays better will ultimately get the starting nod in Game 1 and should be the starter for the postseason. (from ‘Maple Leafs impressively beat Oilers and survive late Samsonov injury scare’, Toronto Sun – 2/23/24).
You always go with the hot hand and whether that is Samsonov or Woll, the team will be in good hands as they’re getting that tandem they had hoped for at the start of the season.
Can Depth Scoring Rise in Postseason?
The core four of Auston Matthews (58), William Nylander (39), Mitch Marner (25) and John Tavares (23) have combined for 145 of the team’s 253 goals scored. That comes in at 57% of the teams scoring. While the top players are scoring, especially Matthews who’s on the hunt for 70, the Maple Leafs depth scoring has been inconsistent to this point.
Over the last two months, the depth scoring is starting to take centre stage as it’s the big reason why they secured a win and not rely on the stars as often as they should. The best example is their recent 6-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers, where both Bobby McMann and Pontus Holmberg scored twice. McMann attributed to the “team effort” and Jake McCabe said that they wanted to prove that they had the better depth motivated them.
Since the start of February, McMann is third in goals with 11. Tyler Bertuzzi turned his fortune around after a massive cold streak, finding the back of the net nine times. Holmberg, Matthew Knies and Max Domi have four goals each as well. If the depth continues to be as productive down the final stretch as it has shown lately, it could be a big x-factor for the team going forward into the postseason. There was some line juggling as of late, but there is some emerging chemistry.
Related: Maple Leafs’ Depth Scoring Helps Beat the Oilers 6-3
If that continues to grow then the Maple Leafs wouldn’t be so reliant on their top players if they go cold. While you want them to be at the forefront every time, depth in the postseason can be a difference maker. The Maple Leafs are starting to show that.
Will Special Teams Turn Things Around?
In the postseason, you have to take advantage of your power play opportunities and killing of penalties effectively. Over the last few weeks, the Maple Leafs haven’t done a great job in both departments.
While the Maple Leafs are fifth in power play percentage with 26.1, in the month of March, they’re executing at disappointing 10.8%. Being 29th overall in that span is not the results you want to see for a team that has dominated on the man advantage this season. They’ve once again got into their bad habits of over passing, having poor entries and have become completely predictable with their setup and movement. While not having Marner doesn’t help, the Maple Leafs need to get back to having a simplified approach and being quicker with their movement and decisions. We’ve seen before that power play that isn’t connecting heading into the postseason is not a great sign.
On the penalty kill, the Maple Leafs have been consistent in letting opponents take advantage as it’s at an abysmal 68.6% for the month (76% overall). Too many times when they’re defending the man advantage, penalty killers lack the awareness of their surroundings, get too aggressive when attacking puck carriers and get out of position way too easily.
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Simply put, both areas need to improve and it starts with both the coaches to have a new game plan and the players to execute properly. If the penalty kill remains below average heading into the post season, that is a recipe for disaster.
There are plenty of other questions that the Maple Leafs need to address, like what will happen with players like Nick Robertson, Timothy Liljegren or even T.J. Brodie after he was a healthy scratch for two games. However, the goaltending, depth scoring and special teams are going to be at the forefront.
This stretch of play is definitely going to reflect whether the Maple Leafs can adjust and be ready when the importance of each game and play is magnified. If they can get solid goaltending and improve with the all-around play then this team could definitely make some noise. If it’s the same old song and dance, then it could mean trouble.
Statistics from Natural Stat Trick and NHL.
