The only way to have properly experienced Toronto Maple Leafs hockey over the past two weeks was to mute the television during games and play Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” on a three-hour loop.
At the conclusion of play on March 10, the Leafs were 35-23-8 and had 78 points, the third most in the Eastern Conference. They were seven points ahead of the ninth-place Detroit Red Wings and eight points ahead of the 10th-place Washington Capitals, laughing in the face of conventional statistical wisdom that a team with such dreadful possession numbers could be this successful.
Whether it’s a comeuppance for season-long ineptitudes or a run-of-the-mill slump, the Maple Leafs have lost five straight and six of seven and find themselves on the brink of missing the playoffs. The Red Wings have closed the gap to move into seventh place and the Capitals are one point back of the eighth-place Maple Leafs with a game in hand.
Finding ground zero on the Leafs’ collapse can be traced back to, well, it can be traced back pretty far depending on how in depth you want to go. It’s like finding ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Dave Lozo
Can the Toronto Maple Leafs Stop Their Collapse Before It’s Too Late?
March 24th, 2014 by Dave Lozo Leave a reply »
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