Maple Leafs Hold Major NHL Advantage That Could Secure 1st Place in the Atlantic Division

With the Panthers dealing with a catastrophic injury to Matthew Tkachuk, where the forward could potentially be out for the remainder of the season, it seems the Atlantic Division is as wide open as ever.

Luckily for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who sit only one point behind Florida for first place, it seems their brutal early season schedule has eased off, with the team facing the weakest competition the remainder of the way.

The Leafs will no doubt be looking to take advantage of their easier opponents (though nothing is ever for certain).

So who is Toronto's upcoming competition who could give them a run for their money? Let's take a look.

For months it was several back to back games, three games in four nights, and a multitude of injuries that kept the Maple Leafs down, but not out.

Fighting through major injuries to Auston Matthews, Anthony Stolarz, John Tavares, and more; it was not a fun time for the Leafs.

But fast forward to their schedule for March, where things ease up a bit in terms of both scheduling and opponents.

Their toughest opponents are no doubt Vegas, Florida, Ottawa, Los Angeles, and Colorado (who they play twice).

However, the team also faces San Jose twice, Nashville, Anaheim, Utah, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. All of those teams are near or at the bottom of their division, and Toronto needs to capitalize on those seven games and make sure they win.

Those teams have a combined record of 132-163-45, and with how much Toronto needs to make a statement; what better than to rattle off seven easy wins?

There are a couple of wildcards when it comes to opponents. Calgary lost last time around, but they aren't a bad team and could easily take Toronto to the limit; same with the Rangers.

April is going to be a bit tougher however, as the team only faces Montreal and Buffalo as weaker opponents, and have three crucial games against Florida (2) and Tampa Bay which could determine the fate of the Atlantic Division.

Though any team can beat anyone on any given night, it seems the Toronto Maple Leafs need to make sure they prevent any potential slip-ups in their easier schedule.

The fate of their Stanley Cup run might depend on it.