The Toronto Maple Leafs got eight points in their last five games and seven in the five before that.  Good timing, but this is not their best stretch of play. The rolling line chart shows that one.

The best stretch of play is still from approximately game 35 to 45.  The recent run has put a lot more of that line at or above the six-point mark.

At 87 points in 75 games, the Leafs are at 1.16 points per game or 95 points on the season if that rate holds up.  Rates fluctuate, but most predictions have the Leafs at around 94 points, so it’s reasonable.  That’s eight points over the final seven games.

Six points in five games is 1.2 points per game or 98 points on the season, so it’s unlikely the Leafs will ever quite meet the goal Mike Babcock set for them.  That makes the Leafs’ play impressive, but it also makes Babcock’s goal setting nearly flawless.

I wonder what the goal will be next year?

Analysis