Four Maple Leafs areas of concentration as the regular season comes to an end…
We’re down to 18 games remaining in the Maple Leafs’ schedule. And when the Leafs and Flyers square off in Philadelphia on Thursday night, it will all happen in a span of 35 days. There is still plenty of hockey to be played before Toronto’s regular season closes on April 17 against the Lightning in Tampa Bay.
The Leafs will finish in third place in the Atlantic Division, barring a collapse or surge in the standings, which you shouldn’t count on. They will face the Bruins in Boston or the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida, to begin the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Leafs are headed toward their third straight season with 100 points or more. However, there are still certain things that need to be worked on before the postseason.
These four are as follows: Joseph Woll started both of the Leafs’ games against the Bruins because of the arrangement made last week. The team and the goalie had a difficult time as Toronto lost all of their games by a score of 4-1.
On February 29, Woll defeated Arizona in his first start following an almost three-month absence due to a sprained ankle. He needs to start stringing together a few wins if he really intends to be the one come playoff time. In actuality, Woll can take all the time he needs to get back on track provided Ilya Samsonov continues to play the way he has since reassembling his team.
Samsonov, 27, is 12-2-0 with a.913 save percentage since January 21. This is his second start following a period away from his teammates as he worked with the organization’s goalie instructors and development staff.
