This next 5-game stretch for the Leafs is crucial

The Lightning currently sit just 2 points back of the Leafs for 2nd in the Atlantic Division and have a game in hand. At one point, the Buds held a comfortable lead over Tampa in the division standings, but after disappointing losses to teams like Chicago, Columbus, Arizona, Montreal and Ottawa in recent weeks, the Bolts were able to close the distance in a hurry and now, things are a lot tighter than they need to be. A strong 5-game road trip could help the Leafs to restore some of the cushion they had, provided the Bolts don't go on a heater of their own.

Over the next 10 days, four of the Leafs' next 5 opponents will be teams who are either in the playoff picture or within striking distance of a Wild Card spot. Stops in Seattle, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and New Jersey will take the Leafs past the trade deadline. They won't have another home game until March 11th, when they welcome Jack Campbell and the Oilers to Toronto. This 5-game road trip is an important one for the Buds. Asking the team to bank 10/10 points might be a little much, but with the Lightning having 4 very winnable games coming up, the Leafs may need to bank at least 8 points to maintain their lead over their Atlantic Division rival.

The silver lining for the Leafs here is that they have a much lighter schedule than the Lightning through the rest of the regular season. Let's just hope they can avoid dropping points to the league's bottom-feeding teams the rest of the way and win the games they're supposed to win. If they can do that, home ice is certainly achievable for round 1.