Darryl Sutter has some high praise for the Leafs ahead of tonight's Flames/Leafs game
Ahead of tonight's matchup between the Calgary Flames and the Toronto Maple Leafs, Flames head coach Darryl Sutter appears to be giving the Leafs their after the Buds have collected points in 13 straight games.
If an opposing coach claims your team is the best in the league, you must be doing something right. The Leafs have earned a point in 13 straight games while also coming off of back-to-back shutouts against Dallas and Los Angeles. To put this into perspective, the last time the Leafs didn't record a single point in the standings came in a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 4-2 loss on November 11th, nearly a month ago to the day.
With a 17-5-6 record, the Leafs sit second in the Atlantic Division, trailing the Boston Bruins by just three points. Over the course of their thirteen-game point streak, their superstars have been producing, their goaltending has been outstanding, the defense have more than held their own and they have never looked more in sync with one another.
Through the adversity this team has already faced just 28 games into the season, the Leafs have continued to impress. Even with an injured blueline and goaltending, the Leafs have still managed to produce in the win column. Currently, goaltender Ilya Samsonov has 7 straight home wins, allowing 2 goals or fewer in 8 of 10 starts, Mitch Marner is on a twenty-one-game point streak and the Leafs have outscored their opponents 46-24 in the last 13 games.
In all aspects of the game, the Leafs are dominating. Through their core leadership, they have helped the buds get back on track after a slow start to the season. Sutter attested to the leadership he has seen with the Leafs core in recent years and how they have managed to find another level yet again.
They lead the team in points when analyzing the core four's contribution.
Marner: 33 points (11G, 22A) Matthews: 31 points (14G 17A) Nylander: 28 points (15G 13A) Tavares: 27 points (13G 14A)
After these four, the next closest is Michael Bunting, with 19 points. This is not a knock on the rest of the lineup, but it demonstrates just how good the core four has been, especially in recent weeks, so far this season.
