Few quibbles with Maple Leafs, but Bruins in a class by themselves as NHL hits all-star break

Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe’s desire for his players is fairly straightforward. 

Once the Leafs return to practice next Thursday following the all-star break/bye week, not only should they be inspired by what they have gained through 52 games, but also be motivated by the fact that nothing has been fully accomplished and that, in Keefe’s words, “we’ve got a ways to go.”

We wonder if any of it will matter in the end. We wonder if it will matter whether general manager Kyle Dubas adds prior to the March 3 trade deadline in the National Hockey League, whether it’s Timo Meier or Ryan O’Rielly or anyone else at forward, or Vladislav Gavrikov or Jake McCabe or anyone else on defence. 

For the Leafs to do what they think they can do — finally kick the past playoff failures to the curb and go on a long post-season run, if not win the Stanley Cup — we can safely presume they’re going to have to beat the Boston Bruins four times in a seven-game series. Of course, that would mean that the Leafs would have eliminated the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, a guarantee that even the most blue-and-white members of Leafs Nation couldn’t make right now.

The Bruins are in a class by themselves in the NHL. That they beat the Leafs handily on Wednesday night was another reminder, and yes, we’re keeping in mind that Toronto didn’t have an injured Auston Matthews, and that it was a rare shoddy night in goal for Ilya Samsonov. 

When push came to shove in the third period, the Bruins’ determination won out, and there was little the Leafs could do about it as Boston rolled to a 5-2 victory.

“The margins are thin,” Keefe said afterward. “But over the course of the season, it’s significant. They stay with it. They’re 40 goals better than every team in the NHL. 

“It’s a significant gap between them and the rest of the league when you look at the season in its entirety to this point. 

“When you’re in the game, you’re right there. That’s what is tough. The difference between being right there and winning the game and being on the other side of it, that’s a significant challenge and hurdle. That team is dialled in and focused and competing and working and they make it hard.”

That the Bruins have 83 points, seven more than the second-place Carolina Hurricanes in the overall NHL standings, is one thing. Boston’s .814 point percentage, with Carolina second at .745, is another. It’s the goal differential that really sets the Bruins apart from the other 31 teams in the league. 

The Bruins hit the break at plus-81 in that category. Next were the New Jersey Devils and Dallas Stars at plus-40, while the Hurricanes were fourth at plus-37, and the Leafs and Lightning next, tied at plus-34.

A significant gap, as Keefe properly called it, indeed. And this from Keefe when he was asked about the performance of Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark, who made 33 saves in the Boston win: “He’s solid, but their team defence really helps a lot.”

The Bruins play a complete game with depth throughout their lineup. And if we’re talking about who was missing for the Leafs, keep in mind that Boston didn’t have winger Jake DeBrusk, who is tied for third in goals among Bruins. 

Here’s something else to consider — given his team’s spot atop the standings and its dominating nature, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney could win an argument that he doesn’t need to make a trade in the next month. If Sweeney does decide to add, he would be bolstering a team that has no areas of weakness. 

“It’s always good to add whenever you have an opportunity to win, because you really don’t know,” forward Brad Marchand said. “We have a really good team and we’re on top of the league, but it doesn’t mean anything come playoff time. It’s just like the eighth-place team in the playoffs. We’re starting from scratch.”

Perhaps, but were the playoffs to start today, the Bruins would get the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. All due respect to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but the Penguins wouldn’t exactly represent an insurmountable challenge. 

Look, there’s no denying what the Leafs have done to this point. They’ve persevered through injuries on the blue line, their top players have been excellent and the goaltending, for the most part, has been sharp. From top to bottom, the Leafs are a fine hockey team. 

Dubas should do everything in his power, no matter the Leafs’ financial issues, to try to improve his group.

The hard truth is that the Bruins are better the Leafs and everyone else.

With 2 1/2 months remaining in the regular season, no matter what the Leafs or other potential contenders might accomplish, the Bruins are in the driver’s seat to the Stanley Cup.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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