Since the losing streak started January 9th, the Toronto Maple Leafs seemed to be on the verge of joining the bottom five in the draft hunt for Connor McDavid. The Maple Leafs had gone 0-10-1 on that streak. That month long streak has provided local Toronto radio and media with enough ammo to call for just about everybody’s head.
In front of a sold out Air Canada Centre, James Reimer stopped the first 31 shots he faced in an unexpected start as the Maple Leafs routed the Oilers 5-1 on Saturday night to end an 11-game winless streak. Reimer lost his shutout with just three seconds to go in regulation.
“The feeling you get at the end of the game when you’ve battled for 60 minutes and you’re able to come up with a win, especially after the adversity we’ve faced, it’s a good feeling,” Reimer said. “It’s a relief, and you feel really good about yourself.”
The bigger story is that interim head coach Peter Horachek finally picked up his second victory, since replacing Randy Carlyle. It’s been a long road for Horachek who’s been keeping a positive vibe going in the Leafs locker room.
“It’s important to see that there’s results,” Horachek said. “I kept telling them that the results are going to come. You’ve just got to keep the process of doing things the right way.”
Looking forward Toronto is on the verge of dropping into the bottom five of the league. It will be tough to drop and catch teams like Buffalo (35 pts) and Edmonton (37pts), though with this years draft class a top-5 pick will desperately help the struggling Leafs.
This week does not get any easier for Toronto. They remain home Tuesday as the Rangers come to town. 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, New York will be looking to gain ground on the struggling Penguins, in the race for the Metro division. After Tuesday’s contest, the Leafs head on the road for a weekend trip to Long Island and Montreal.
It’ll be a rough week for Toronto, but if they can put a few wins together, they can easily get back into the hunt for a wildcard spot in the playoffs.
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