Leafs finish 2022 with an insane number of comeback wins, but it could have been even higher if not for Murray and Samsonov
The Leafs have long been one of those teams that people have had a tough time figuring out. Until this season, the Leafs have been known as a team who blows leads and can't quite get it done when it comes to closing and playing from ahead in games - and for some time, the confusion surrounding this team was warranted. However, when the calendar flipped from 2021 to 2022, much of the confusion and disappointment appeared to have given way to more optimism and hope, despite the fact that the Buds lost in the first round, once again, this time to the Tampa Bay Lightning back in May.
Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner in particular, have really elevated their game over the last calendar year. Now, on New Year's Day, we reflect on some of the dominance that the Leafs have displayed over 2022. One stat that blew my mind was how many comeback wins the Leafs posted in 2022, as the Toronto Sun's Terry Koshan pointed out on Sunday.
The Buds ended 2022 as one of four teams with 26 comeback wins in the calendar year, with the others being the Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild. The only team with more come-from-behind victories last year? The New York Rangers, who had 27 comeback wins in 2022.
Of course, many of these occurred at the beginning of the year, when the Leafs' wagon was still hitched to Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek, but since the start of the 2022-23 season, the Leafs have been in much better shape in goal, and thus have been able to preserve leads rather than getting stuck playing from behind. Were it not for the stellar play of Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov this season, it's possible that the Leafs could have finished the year with the most come-from-behind victories of any team in the league, surpassing New York's league-leading 27 comeback wins.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 1 | 122 ANSWERS Leafs finish 2022 with an insane number of comeback wins, but it could have been even higher if not for Murray and Samsonov If the Leafs had kept Campbell and Mrazek, how many comeback wins would they have had in 2022? | ||
| Still 26 | 89 | 73 % |
| 27-30 | 13 | 10.7 % |
| 31-35 | 10 | 8.2 % |
| More than 35 | 10 | 8.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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