The Toronto Maple Leafs' dominance is nothing short of a great effort by the roster, the coaching staff and the team's GM, Brad Treliving. The forwards, who lead the team, are doing a fantastic job taking charge. With the help of the defense, they have suffocated the opposing team's onslaught during most of the games played thus far.
Head coach Craig Berube has done a good job of managing the positive changes that have come this year. The Maple Leafs have a chance to finish at the top of the Atlantic Division, which was one of the achievements from the beginning of the campaign.
Also, being in the top 5 teams in the NHL to end the year will give them a credible chance of possibly making a run with the additions President Brendan Shanahan has made to the club. Revamp the organization and the need-to-win-now attitude in the locker room.
The Toronto Maple Leafs winning gameplay review: Offensive game
The Buds do their best to create turnovers in the neutral zone, not to mention their own end of the ice. Take charge of the puck movement, in which assistant coach Lane Lambert does his best to teach the team about stick handling and enforcing during the games played has been key for the Maple Leafs so far.
This aspect has given the team a new approach to moving the puck. The speed and skill approach to playing hockey gives the players on the roster options to work with. This approach presents more opportunities to score in the offensive zone, primarily near the crease.
The team is also good at scoring when times were tough and recapturing leads, which has frustrated opposing teams. Toronto's defensive presence shuts down high-percentage plays.
Mark Sevard has done a good job ensuring the team can score as many points on the ice as possible. He has also kept track of who is where and when to advance when facing adversity on the ice during gameplay. His unique handling of the team has given him multiple scenarios to work with.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have given themselves another area to produce points, especially during crucial games. The team is on fire, and the Leafs' secondary scoring firepower is coming together as a well-oiled machine.
The Toronto Maple Leafs winning game review: Defensive aspect
The Maple Leafs have done a good job of shutting down the opposing teams offense. The defense has been suffocating and did their best to shut down plays in an effective way. They keep shots and scoring chances away from the net, and the roster itself amassed a significant amount of blocked shots; 102 by Chris Tanev alone.
The new zone coverage scheme gives the team multiple angles to cover, with a strong board game that takes away from the opposing teams speed and skating ability around the ice. This part of the gameplay also presents ways of creating turnovers, which further fuels the offense.
The Toronto Maple Leafs' goaltending is a large part of this season's story. This year, the team has two quality goaltenders, Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll. They have been phenomenal in the crease, taking away high-percentage goals from star players.