Toronto Maple Leafs Go to School and Face the Biggest Test of the Season

The Toronto Maple Leafs' last game against the Pittsburgh Penguins was the first in a stretch of games that sees the Leafs playing seven of eight games against teams ahead of them in the standings, and six of those games are against Eastern Conference foes.

Included in those six games are two against the two teams that Toronto is trying to overtake to obtain the eighth and final playoff spot.

This is crunch time for the Leafs and their playoff aspirations. After this run of games, we will know if the Leafs are true contenders or were merely pretenders.

As far as tests go, this one is the biggest of the season so far. Consider it the final exam for a team trying to learn how to win. The lessons have been centered on one question that needs to be answered: Can the Leafs hang with the elder classmen in the conference?

We will know the answer to this within two weeks, as the Leafs will play Philadelphia twice, Buffalo, cup-holders Chicago, Tampa Bay and Carolina during this run.

The first part of the exam is in the books and the Leafs answered correctly with a 3-2 overtime win against a Pittsburgh team without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

But like all good exams, the questions get tougher as they progress.

Next up is the powerhouse Philadelphia Flyers. They are the team that the Leafs aspire to emulate. They are a hard-hitting, in your face, truculent, tough-as-nails, cup-contending hockey team that just so happens to be leading the conference.

The Leafs have a two-part question with these guys and have failed to answer correctly in their prior two meetings. A 5-2 loss in Philadelphia on Oct. 23 and a 4-1 loss at the Air Canada Centre on Dec. 9 indicate that the Leafs need to cram before taking this test again.

Toronto, however, has been studying hard lately; the Leafs defense is especially noteworthy, as they have given up two goals or less in seven out of their last 10 games. Any time an opponent can be held to two goals, the team has a great chance of winning the game. And so it has been with the Leafs as they have posted a 5-1-4 record over those same 10 games—taking 14 out of 20 points in the process.

A lot of the credit needs to go to the blue-line corps headed by captain Dion Phaneuf and rookie goalie James Reimer. Some will argue, and rightly so, that other defenders deserve to be mentioned for extra credit regarding the Leafs resurgence on the defensive end.

But Phaneuf has been hitting the books lately and his grades have been improving. It is high time that we recognized his work ethic and contributions to the team.

As for “King James,” what more needs to be said than the volumes of articles that have come out recently rejoicing in his abilities?

At the front of the class, the addition of Joffrey Lupul seems to have made a star pupil out of Phil Kessel. Kessel has been nothing short of “on fire” with eight goals in his last eight games, which has earned him First Star of the Week honors in the NHL—the first and only time this honor has been bestowed upon any Leaf player this season.

The Maple Leafs currently look like a primer on how to turn a failing franchise around. The offense, defense and management have been paying attention in their respective study groups and the quality of their hockey education looks solid.

Now it's time to put all that schooling to the test.

The class bell has rung; the students have filed to their seats. The exam papers are being handed out and pencils are hitting the pages. It's final exam time, buds. It's time to get to work.

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