Toronto Maple Leafs Reveal Their Top Priority After 4 Nations Break
Craig Berube revealed what the Maple Leafs need to work on after they return from the 4 Nations Face-Off -- and it's a critical part of their success this season.
The Maple Leafs have two weeks off to rest before they return to the ice for the remainder of the regular season. Craig Berube thinks that the team has played well going into the break, however he believes that a very crucial facet of their game needs some improvement -- the penalty kill.
We want to keep focusing on our play without the puck, for sure.
Now, there are other areas. Our power play has improved dramatically, in my opinion.
They are creating momentum, even if they are not scoring. We were pretty good on the PK this trip, but we are giving up goals lately on our PK, and we have to tighten it up, for sure. When we get back playing again, it is going to be a grind.
March is a really busy month. It is going to be a grind and a hard push. It is a very competitive league, and there are a lot of teams that are in it.
Now, there are other areas. Our power play has improved dramatically, in my opinion.
They are creating momentum, even if they are not scoring. We were pretty good on the PK this trip, but we are giving up goals lately on our PK, and we have to tighten it up, for sure. When we get back playing again, it is going to be a grind.
March is a really busy month. It is going to be a grind and a hard push. It is a very competitive league, and there are a lot of teams that are in it.
We're headed into the end stretch of the 2024-25 NHL season -- let's see how Toronto can improve things.
Penalty Killing Was Key To Toronto's Early Success
Toronto's penalty killing currently sits at 79.88% on the season, ranking them 13th in the league. Going back to November 6, the Maple Leafs were 6th in the league at 86%.
While it's unfeasible to ask the team to kill off nearly 9 of every 10 penalties, it is feasible to ask them to take less penalties. They rank 22nd in the NHL with 426 PIM total and while that seems good; a deeper dive paints a different picture.
Toronto ranks 25th in drawing penalties and 17th in taking them. Here's the kicker though -- Toronto ranks 22nd with only 9 major penalties. It shows a lot of the time, the team gets punished for being undisciplined (even if we think there's some ref bias).
It also plays into the fact Toronto plays the 5th most minutes 3v5 at 6:48 total, and their rapid succession of penalties costs them.
Since losing 3-0 in Vancouver on Jan. 11, Toronto has given up 11 goals while on the PK (11 games) -- they gave up 15 in the first 23 games of the season. Whatever has changed isn't conducive to their success, especially come playoff time.
So if the Leafs are going to take bad penalties, they need to tighten up their penalty kill.
But what do YOU think? Does Toronto need to strengthen their penalty kill, or will the be able to succeed with how things are? Let us know!
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 10 | 552 ANSWERS Toronto Maple Leafs Reveal Their Top Priority After 4 Nations Break Do you think Toronto needs to improve on their penalty kill when they return from the 4 Nations Face-Off break? | ||
| Yes it's a big issue! | 428 | 77.5 % |
| No things are fine! | 124 | 22.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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