We associate playoff hockey with a heavy bent towards defensive and physical play. So can a great offensive team like the Maple Leafs win in the playoffs? jtbourne ponders that question.
goals against those years, well, the Leafs are seventh-best in that category. Their actual defending hasn’t been as bad as their defensive outcomes.
My conclusion on the Leafs is pretty simple: They’re legit, and not built in some way that prohibits them from post-season wins, as evidenced by recent history. Over the past three weeks they’ve dealt losses to all of their biggest competitors, Tampa Bay, Boston, Carolina and Florida. They’re in the mix of teams who just need some good luck at the right time, though it’s not guaranteed for anyone.
This season the Leafs' plan has been to be good defensively by playing in the other team’s zone. “The best defence is a good offence,” and so on. The Leafs have good puck moving D, they break the puck out, and they play at the right end of the rink. That’s led to their more favourable defensive stats , but also, zone time. According to SportLogiq, only one team in the league allows their opponents fewer minutes with the puck in their end than the Leafs.
Looking at this category, here are Toronto's past five games against likely first round opponents, all over the past few weeks:TOR 4 – FLA 6The Leafs' defensive stats are generally decent, and yes, part of that is because they break the puck out well and play at the right end of the rink. But that part is harder against the best teams in the NHL , and so it ups the pressure on their actual in-zone defence, which is where questions remain.
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