Not many Leafs fans were satisfied with Toronto’s shootout win over the Flyers on the weekend, and rightfully so — the team was outshot 35-14 by a tired and mediocre Philly team in the final 45 minutes of play. It may sound like handwringing to criticize the two points, but with the bar set at Cup contention, the focus is on the process with this Leafs team more than anything else.
In a league with a grueling 82-game schedule and intense parity compared to other leagues, that’s how it should be. Considering how this season has started (the team has eight losses and seven wins), the Leafs are going to need to string together their first hot streak of the year with a more consistent performance level from game-to-game if they’re going to placate a concerned fan base as we head into a lighter schedule in the month of November.