Toronto Maple Leafs: A Look into December

The month of November ended on a bit of sour note for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yet they still managed to finish the month with a winning record of 7-6-1.

One big reason for optimism is that the Maple Leafs seem to have, for the most part, weathered the injury storm. James Reimer is poised to return. He might be able to start against the New Jersey Devils on December 6, which is the Maple Leafs' first home game in December.

Crisis was averted as David Steckel and Carl Gunnarsson made speedy recoveries after both went down with hand injuries sustained from blocking a shot.

Mikhail Grabovski recently returned to action playing fourth line minutes. He should soon see his ice time return to normal.

It was a tough month for the Maple Leafs in terms of injuries, but the worst seems to have passed. Not only is Reimer almost ready to go, but according to an article in the Toronto Sun, Colby Armstrong is set to return in about seven to ten days.

This is fantastic news for the  Maple Leafs because Armstrong is a guy whose mere presence livens up the team. Everybody has more jump when he's around, and the team as a whole plays better.

Some other thoughts:

Time for a rematch

The first three games against the Boston Bruins were warm-ups. It all gets serious on Saturday December 3rd.

The Maple Leafs have an opportunity to retake the Northeast Division lead with a win in Boston.

It is also a chance to show everyone, not just Maple Leaf fans, that the Maple Leafs can dance with the best of them.

Some of the Maple Leafs' wins in November came against teams that were just begging to be put out of their misery. Namely the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets, an uninspired Washington Capitals team, and a confused Anaheim Ducks squad.

Now's the time to show they can win big games against powerhouse teams.

Back-to-backs

The Maple Leafs had one pair of back-to-back games in November. They came out with wins against the Devils and the Jackets.

This month, the Maple Leafs have three pairs of back-to-back games. Even though James Reimer will return soon, it looks like we'll be seeing a lot of Jonas Gustavsson this month.

Scheduling

The Maple Leafs have five home games and eight road games in December. They'll end 2011 with a four-game road trip.

Although the Maple Leafs are currently sporting an 8-5-0 record in road games, this will prove to be a big test for them.

If the Maple Leafs can come out of December with a winning record, then they'll be in great shape for January when they will be playing nine games at home versus three on the road.

That's about as nice as it gets all season. Looking at the schedule for December, most of the games look winnable.

I'm predicting a 7-5-1 record.

Players of the Month

Phil Kessel was the NHL's First Star of October. While Joffrey Lupul was just named the Third Star for November.

Who's next in line?

Is it Tyler Bozak with a break out month? Will it be Kessel and/or Lupul again? Or, will it be James Reimer with some stellar play to silence the critics, who don't like the love he's getting at the All-Star fan ballot?

Buffalo Sabres

Almost two months in, and it's hard to believe the Maple Leafs and the Buffalo Sabres still haven't met this season. The Maple Leafs will be facing them twice this month. It'll be a glorious opportunity to distance themselves from the Sabres, who currently trail them by three points.

Maple Leafs visit the Winnipeg Jets

The Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets already faced off back in October; however, the Maple Leafs will visit the MTS Centre for the first time on New Year's Eve.

The date of the match-up will make it that much more memorable.

Western Conference Teams

The Maple Leafs only face two Western Conference teams in December. This is bad news considering they went 4-1-1 against the West in November. It doesn't help that it's the Vancouver Canucks and the L.A. Kings.