Leafs' OT success this season is more of a curse than a blessing; OT/shootout leaders don't often go far
If you believe that history will repeat itself and if you are a believer in trends being a pretty good predictor of successes and failures, then you might not want to look into the Toronto Maple Leafs and their incessant number of overtime games to start the 2023-24 season.
The Leafs lead the NHL in overtime games this season with 11 and Leafs reporter David Alter took a deep dive dating back to the 2005-06 season to see how the team with the most overtime games fared in the regular season - and playoffs, if they made it that far.
This season hasn't been kind to the Maple Leafs as they haven't played to anywhere near their potential or lofty expectations. Of their 12 wins, only 5 have come in regulation, which is a step below the San Jose Sharks who are 6-17-2.
Of the 22 teams that have led the league in overtime sessions since 2005-06, only 8 have made the playoffs with the most recent team being the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019-20. There have been 5 first round exits, 2 second round exits, and one Stanley Cup finalist back in 2005-06 (Edmonton Oilers).
Alter further points out that since the NHL changed to the 3-on-3 format, no team has gotten past the first round and it's only been the Philadelphia Flyers (2015-16 and 2017-18) and the aforementioned Blue Jackets from 2019-20 that have even qualified for the post-season. '
These numbers are, of course, just a historical guide, as any team can buck the trend and not only qualify for the post-season but go all the way. 50% of the Leafs games have gone into the extra session, a trend that will eventually subside as well.
The Maple Leafs assuredly have one of the most potent offenses on paper and could be one of the few teams to end this lengthy drought. However, as of Sunday morning, they sat 20th in the league in expected goals at 5-on-5, which is a telling sign as to why they only have 5 regulation victories and how overtime has actually helped them out.
The Leafs need more from their top-guns in Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner just as much as they need their supporting players in Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi to provide the necessary secondary scoring that would help reduce the number of overtime games moving forward and keep this unruly statistic at bay.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 4 | 521 ANSWERS Leafs' OT success this season is more of a curse than a blessing; OT/shootout leaders don't often go far Do you think the Leafs will make the playoffs if they continue to take games past the 60-minute threshold? | ||
| Yes, they'll still make it | 264 | 50.7 % |
| No, they need to fix the issues - and fast | 257 | 49.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
