The Toronto Maple Leafs are dreaming of a home Christmas, but a challenging three-game road swing stands between them and their holiday plans. The team departed Toronto on Wednesday, aiming to find a more stable performance after a rollercoaster stretch at Scotiabank Arena.
A Tough Stretch at Home Precedes the Journey
Before hitting the road, the Leafs made things difficult for themselves with two losses featuring blown leads. They did, however, manage a dramatic comeback to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday, December 16th. The team took a day off to regroup before embarking on a busy weekend of travel that will test their mettle.
The road trip begins in the American capital on Thursday, December 18th, with a matchup against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. This is followed by a demanding back-to-back set, facing the Nashville Predators on Saturday and finishing against the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
Facing Formidable Opponents on the Road
The upcoming opponents present a significant challenge. Both the Capitals and the Stars are locked in battles for the lead in their respective divisions. While the Predators were sitting at the bottom of the Central Division prior to Wednesday's games, they trailed the Maple Leafs by a mere five points. Toronto, with a record of 15 wins, 12 losses, and 5 overtime losses, finds itself in a tight Eastern Conference wild-card race.
Following this trip, the Leafs have just one more home game at Scotiabank Arena before Christmas, a contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 23rd.
Lineup Questions and Injury Updates
A key decision for head coach Craig Berube is whether to stick with the winning lineup from Tuesday or make changes based on the team's overall struggles to generate offense for much of that game. Another major question mark involves the status of defenseman Chris Tanev, who is seeking medical clearance after six weeks dealing with an upper-body injury.
In goal, Joseph Woll performed well throughout the victory over Chicago. The plan is for Woll and Dennis Hildeby to split the netminding duties over the weekend's back-to-back games, regardless of who gets the start in Washington.
Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, whose goal sparked Tuesday's comeback, expressed optimism about the team's direction. The veteran believes that by simplifying their game, even under the pressure to entertain at home, the Leafs will eventually find their rhythm.
"There's high expectations from the fans and in this room as well," Ekman-Larsson said after the Chicago game. "It was nice to get a win for them." The Leafs will need to harness that positive feeling as they navigate a critical pre-holiday test against some of the NHL's toughest competition.
