Is This Toronto Maples Leafs’ Best Chance For Stanley Cup Glory?

The 2020-21 NHL season, the 104th season, is in full swing, with most franchises having played between 16 and 20 games. Toronto Maples Leafs fans should see this season as their team’s best chance to win the coveted Stanley Cup for the first time since 1966-67. Here is why.

COVID-19 almost stopped the current NHL season from getting off the ground. The Canadian government imposed strict cross-border travel restrictions on residents and non-residents, which looked like locking Canadian hockey teams out of the competition. NHL officials reshuffled the pack and placed all seven Canadian teams into one division.

Having all the Canadian teams in the North Division gives the Toronto Maples Leafs a distinct advantage. They are, by far, the best hockey team north of the United States border. Look at the best betting sites in Canada, and all of them have Toronto Maples Leafs as the shortest-priced Canadian team.

Is This Toronto Maples Leafs’ Best Chance For Stanley Cup Glory?

“Toronto Maple Leaf “ by NHL is licensed under CC BY 3.0 

Looking Back on Last Season

The Maples Leafs usually compete in the Eastern Conference, which means competing with teams, including the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, and Tampa Bay Lightning. Maples Leafs played 70 NHL games last season, won 35, and lost 34 of them, nine of those defeats coming in overtime. When all was said and done, the Maple Leafs finished eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 0.579 record.

Eighth-place was good enough for the playoffs last season. The playoffs did not go to plan because they lost in the qualifying round. Columbus Blue Jackets beat them 2-3 and ended Maple Leafs’ season prematurely.

This season sees Toronto Maple Leafs only compete against their fellow Canadian outfits, all of whom they are far better than. Their biggest rivals are the Edmonton Oilers, but they should have more than enough to finish about their Alberta-based rivals.

Maple Leafs Lead The North Division By Six Points

The Maple Leafs have won 14 of their 20 games of the 2020-21 season, losing four games and losing two in overtime. They are the joint highest scorers in the North Division and have the third tightest defense. No wonder the Maples Leafs, on 30 points, are six points ahead of the chasing pack, which is led by the Edmonton Oilers.

An indifferent start to the season saw the Maple Leafs go 3-2 from their opening five fixtures. They hit their stride in the following weeks, however, winning eight of their nine games, with only a 3-4 overtime defeat at the Edmonton Oilers spoiling their perfect run.

A shock 5-6 overtime defeat against the Ottawa Senators in Game 16 gave the Maples Leafs food for thought. The team responded positively, beating the Senators 2-1 then 7-3 in back-to-back games.

Their last game saw Maple Leafs slide to a 0-3 loss at home to Calgary Flames. This game was the first of the current season where Maples Leafs have failed to score.

A trio of testing fixtures is coming up for the much-fancied Maples Leafs. They play the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton three times in the space of three days before enjoying a much easier brace of games away at the struggling Vancouver Canucks. Another ten games are scheduled during March, and the Maple Leafs are at home for seven of those, which gives them a significant advantage.

Is This Toronto Maples Leafs’ Best Chance For Stanley Cup Glory?

“Toronto Mapels “ by NHL is licensed under CC BY 3.0 

Bookies Make the Maple Leafs Fourth-Favorites For Stanley Cup Glory

Bookmakers make Colorado Avalanche the favorites to win this year’s Stanley Cup, followed by Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning. Toronto Maples Leafs are the fourth-favorites right now, a fact that fills their roster with confidence.

Maples Leafs have Mitch Marner in scintillating form, having scored nine goals and provided 21 assists from the 19 games he has played. Auston Matthews has already scored 18 goals and made 11 assists in his 18 games, while captain John Tavares has 17 points to his name.

Topping the North Division will do wonders for the Maple Leafs’ players, and they are extremely dangerous when they are confident. Any team who can score as freely as the Maple Leafs always has a chance of glory. This season could be Toronto’s best chance in recent years to sample the sweet taste of success.

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