At this time last year, the divisional race felt over already, and it was trending in a similar direction over the first six weeks of the 2023-24 schedule. But the Maple Leafs‘ strong run of form and the Bruins somewhat returning to earth (5-4-1 L10) has Toronto five points back of the division lead with a game in hand. A stepping stone for the Leafs toward that end is proving they can take advantage of the bottom feeders and not fall into traps.
And if there ever was a trap game on paper, this is it.