Atlantic Division crown more important for Leafs than any other team

The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ push for the Atlantic Division title continues with a big 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. The win gives them a three-point lead on the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top spot in the division, although the Bolts do have a game in hand.

With either the Lightning or Panthers waiting in the first round for the Leafs if they slip out of first place, securing the division title and a likely matchup with a Ottawa Senators squad that is weaker than the two Florida teams is all the more important for Toronto, as they need any help that they can get in the playoffs considering their previous struggles.

Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk talked about the Leafs and the importance of getting that division title on Daily Faceoff Live.

Frank Seravalli: The Leafs had an important win. They are now three points clear of the Lightning and Panthers, and this is all about winning the Atlantic Division because it’s going to be up for debate and test because they’ve still got critical games against these teams next week that’s probably going to decide who wins and who loses.

The Lightning were in a spot where, had things gone a different way for them over the last 48 hours, that the Lightning would be in sole possession of first place in the Atlantic today. It’s that close! And it means more to the Leafs for a team that has really, really struggled early in playoff rounds to get through with the best path possible.

In saying that, Ottawa Senators, potentially on tap, Linus Ullmark today smashing a stick on his way off the ice after conversation with his goalie coach in the morning skate. It’d be fascinating to see what that means, if anything.

But if you get the Sens in round one, it’s not really up for debate. Not saying it’s a guaranteed win, but it’s definitely an easier path than the Panthers or the Lightning in round one. And so it means nothing more to anyone other than the Leafs. I think the Panthers and Lightning both yawn. “Okay, we get who we get”. The Leafs, it actually matters.

Tyler Yaremchuk: Yeah, I agree with that. I would say if the Leafs can go 5-2 in their final seven [games], that should be good enough to hold onto that top spot considering Tampa has the game in hand.

The Leafs remaining schedule in an order of strength of difficulty, according to Tankathon, is the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa and Florida, and they get the Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings. So you got to take care of those easy games.

You can watch the full episode here…