Maple Leafs Urged to Capitalize on Key Opportunity for a Major Playoff Advantage

Sunday night was a big night for the Maple Leafs, even if they didn't play. With the New York Islanders defeating the Florida Panthers, it gave Toronto a bit of a leg up when it comes to their quest to finish atop the Atlantic Division.

With two games in hand on the Florida Panthers, the Maple Leafs need to be very proactive in taking the next four points against both Calgary and Colorado meanwhile Florida needs to take on Columbus and Washington over their next two.

So what can give Toronto the key to taking over the Atlantic?

While Florida is able to take on those teams normally with no issue, the Panthers are missing some key contributors.

Brad Marchand is injured and not ready to return for another week or two, Matthew Tkachuk is dealing with a serious injury that has put his playoffs in doubt, and Aaron Ekblad was suspended 20 games, and will miss the rest of the season and two games of the first round.

Toronto couldn't beat the Panthers the last time around, but the two teams face off twice more before the end of the season, and they need to make sure they take at least one game out of those.

Their schedule at the end of March is going to be the real factor in taking advantage of Florida's struggles.

The team plays Nashville, Philadelphia, San Jose, and Anaheim the final week of the month and those are eight very easy points to take; and take them they must.

If Toronto loses one of those games, it's not the end of the world, though it's not the intended outcome.

But if they drop two or even three from that stretch, it's going to be pretty hopeless for them come playoff time. If they can't beat the worst teams in the NHL, what hope do they have against the best?

It's time for the team to wake up and hit the smelling salts. There's only 16 games left for the Maple Leafs to get their act together and make a strong push into the playoffs.

They better get started.