It's time to get down to business for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
If it wasn't imperative to win games before New Years, it certainly is now with a playoff spot slipping away by the day.
On the final night of 2009, the Leafs were five points out of eighth place.
On the night of Jan. 4, 2010, they are eight points out and slipping fast. And it may be slightly premature to say this, but I'm going to anyways: the Leafs' next four games could be the difference between playoffs or not.
That's right, the Leafs have four games in five nights starting Tuesday, and if things don't go well, the playoffs could be too far out of reach come Saturday night.
Toronto starts this crucial four-game stretch at home against the Florida Panthers, the team directly ahead of them in the standings by four points.
The Panthers are 5-4-1 in their last ten games but have allowed 135 goals (the third-most goals in the Eastern Conferenc ...
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Article written by Jon Neely