Noon Mashup: Crucial Month Ahead

by Matt Bracken on February 2, 2012 in Morning Mashup - 1,473 Comments

The month of February will be crucial in the Maple Leafs‘ quest to solidify their first playoff berth since the lockout.  Although the race won’t necessarily be decided this month, it will certainly go a long way in putting the Leafs in a prime position to compete for the Stanley Cup come April.   The team has definitely been playing better hockey (the last ten minutes of Monday’s debacle versus Pittsburgh notwithstanding), picking up points in five of their last six games.

Here is a look at the Eastern Conference standings as of February 2^nd, 2012:

Team	PTS	GP
NY Rangers*	69	49
Boston*	66	48
Florida*	57	49
Philadelphia	64	49
Pittsburgh	62	51
Ottawa	60	53
Toronto	58	51
New Jersey	57	49
Washington	56	50
Winnipeg	52	51

*denotes division leader, bold is currently in a playoff spot

The Toronto Maple Leafs under Ron Wilson have an impressive 92-63-24 record after February 1^st since the NHL lockout and are hopeful to continue that trend this season.  I thought I would take a look at how the rest of February shakes up in terms of strength/type of schedule for four teams vital to the playoff race.

Let’s look at games remaining, home games, how many game are against a team .500 or better and how many back-to-back situations they face in February:

Team	Games	@ Home	vs .500+	Back-To-Back
7. Leafs	12	6	8	2
8. Devils	13	6	10	3
9. Florida	13	7	8	3
10 Winnipeg	14	8	9	2

*all numbers as of February 2/2012

Nothing will come easy for the Maple Leafs this month (or ever it seems) and their schedule for February, 2012 will be a challenge.  Both Florida (3-3-4) and Winnipeg (3-6-1) have slightly easier schedules but neither team has played superb hockey over their past ten games. This needs to be a month where the Leafs push the gas pedal and give themselves some much needed separation and breathing room.

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LEAFS LINKS:

Brian Burke was on the George Notgonnaspellhislastnameout Show last night.
A must watch.

Grabovski’s Agent is in town
Quotes from Gary Greenstin, Grabo’s agent, and Brian Burke suggest Grabovski isn’t going anywhere. Grabo loves Toronto like he loves pineapple. Doesn’t sound like Burke is afraid to pass the deadline without Grabovski signed, either.

Alyonka Larionov’s feature with Joffrey Lupul
Get to know the man they call Loops.

Ray Ferraro apologizes for saying Phaneuf yells like a girl.
If I questioned Phaneuf‘s masculinity and found out it got out, I’d apologize too.

Please stop the Nazem Kadri yo yo
Michael Langlois doesn’t like the way Kadri‘s been handled.

In the Pipeline – February 1st
The Leafs Nation updates the progress of the Leafs’ CHL prospects.

Iso Report: Luke Schenn
Derek Harmsworth does an in depth, period-by-period study of Luke Schenn’s individual performance last night.

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For Blue Jays fans, continue to visit AL Eastbound & Down for your daily Jays fix!

Toronto Blue Jays Top 15 Prospects For 2012

Mariners Offered Pineda for Brett Lawrie?

Jose Bautista Will Grace Cover Of MLB 2K12!

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