There are numerous reasons the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves near the basement of the Atlantic Division standings.
Veteran goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has struggled in his first year with the Leafs with a 3.47 goals-against average and isn’t getting much help from an aging blueline.
William Nylander has 22 points in 20 games, but has been on the ice for more even-strength goals against (25) than any other forward this season.
Leafs defenceman Darren Raddysh, who was signed to an eight-year, $68 million this summer, leads the league in even-strength goals against among all skaters.
Not too mention significant injuries to key players, namely star winger Kirill Marchenko, sidelined since Oct. 26 with a lower-body injury with no signs of an imminent return.
However, another major reason for Toronto’s 8-10-2 record through 20 games is their dismal play on home ice.
The Maple Leafs have dropped the first four games of their current six-game homestand, all in regulation, and have seen their record at Scotiabank Arena fall to 4-7-1 on the season.
Toronto and the Edmonton Oilers are tied for the most home games played with 12, yet only the lowly Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks have a lower home point percentage in the NHL than the Leafs’ .375.
The Maple Leafs are scoring 2.58 goals-per-game at home while allowing 3.5.
Toronto has been outscored 17-7 by the Utah Mammoth, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche during this current stretch which is quickly making a playoff return a far more difficult task.
They’ll finish the homestand with games against two juggernauts in the Minnesota Wild on Thursday and the Oilers on Saturday, both ranked in the top three of the NHL standings.
Setting a record?
If the Maple Leafs fail to pick up a win against either Minnesota or Edmonton, they would be one loss away from tying the longest home losing streak in franchise history.
Under infamous owner Harold Ballard, the 1984-85 Maple Leafs, considered the worst season in franchise history, lost seven straight home games.
Just a few weeks after snapping that streak, the Leafs would drop all five games of a homestand.
The Leafs finished last in the NHL in 1984-85 with a 20-52-8 record, including just 10 victories at home.
Longest Home Losing Streaks in Maple Leafs History
| Home Losing Streak | Season |
|---|---|
| 7 | 1984-85 |
| 6 | 1985-86 |
| 5 | 1924-25, 1967-68, 1981-82, 1984-85, 1989-90, 1990-91 |
Toronto has one six-game home losing streak in franchise history. A loss to the Wild on Thursday night will mark the organization’s seventh five-game home losing streak.
Following the completion of their homestand on Saturday, the Maple Leafs travel to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks on Tuesday before returning home to host the Kings on Nov. 19 and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 21, two teams below the Maple Leafs in the league standings.