Love 'em or hate 'em, the Toronto Maple Leafs have used the early portion of the new NHL campaign to propel themselves to the top of the league standings, doing so in the way many anticipated - scoring a ton of goals.
Thirty-four goals, to be specific, in just seven games - six of which being wins - is an astronomical number in a small sample size, but it makes one wonder, could the Leafs' offense be even more dangerous than we anticipated?
After pouring in 250 goals last season, the fifth-highest sum in the league, Toronto added Patrick Marleau in the summer to further bolster an offensive unit that was already a nightmare to defend. Despite the addition of a Hall of Fame resume to the lineup, the caveat to the Leafs' championship aspirations this season was team defense, and while things can certainly be tightened up on the back end, Toronto's torrid start has made it look like it might not matter.
The personnel
Following Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto now has five players averaging at least one point per game to begin the season. Auston Matthews leads the way with 10, Nazem Kadri has eight, while William Nylander, James van Riemsdyk, and Morgan Rielly have put forth seven apiece.
Now, nobody is realistically expecting Rielly, or really any of the other skaters outside Matthews to maintain such a high pace until April, but the early indication is that this team will receive contributions from the entire roster - a lineup filled out with the likes of Mitch Marner, Tyler Bozak, and the aforementioned Marleau, who've each had fine starts, yet are being overlooked by the sheer firepower at the top.
Why it's such an asset
(Photo Courtesy: Action Images)
In the latter half of a back-to-back, the Leafs came out flat versus the Red Wings, frequently playing in their own end and struggling to generate or maintain any consistent pressure in the offensive zone.
Yet they still scored four goals in the opening 20 minutes.
Detroit out-attempted Toronto 45-29 at 5-on-5, and 56-38 in all situations (hockeystats.ca) but because of the Leafs' offensive talent, they came away with two points and a convincing score line, despite an effort nowhere near their best.
The long-term picture
Head coach Mike Babcock will continue to adjust in hopes his team can cut down on the chances his team is giving up down the road, but if the Leafs can manage six goals on an off night, what's going to stop them when they're firing on all cylinders?
And while Wednesday's performance reared some ugly possession numbers, it was an outlier when looking at the Leafs' analytical output thus far. The Leafs are averaging 34.7 shots per game this season - a mark good for sixth-highest in the NHL, while their power play is operating at 30 percent.
Additionally, their expected goals-for percentage (xGF%), which measures goal expectancy to shots based on shot types and distance, among other factors, was at 59.97 percent entering Wednesday's win, ranking third in the NHL, per Corsica.
We all knew the Leafs would rely on their offense again this season, and considering what they've demonstrated so far, perhaps we underestimated how powerful it can be.
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