The Buffalo Sabres have had a special season that sees them on the verge of ending their 14-season playoff drought while contending for an Atlantic Division title. Meanwhile, the division winner last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs, have had a season to forget that somehow keeps getting worse.
The Maple Leafs currently are second-to-last in the Atlantic Division with 77 points and are set to miss the playoffs for the first time after nine straight appearances. After 108 points and a points percentage of .659, they currently have only 77 points with a points percentage of .513.
They seemingly gave up on the season a few weeks ago with the moves at the trade deadline, and shortly before taking the ice against the Anaheim Ducks, announced they had fired their general manager, Brad Treliving. On Tuesday, MLSE President and CEO Keith Pelley held a press conference to talk about the direction of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Pelley with laughable quote blaming the Buffalo Sabres for the Maple Leafs disastrous season
Pelley was asked what he believes went wrong with the season, and surprisingly was quick to point to the improvement of some division rivals. "We definitely didn’t see the train coming, which was the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens, and how strong those two teams are," Pelley said.
Now, to be fair, there wasn't really anyone who predicted what the Sabres were able to accomplish, as they have been one of the best teams since mid-December. It has been a meteoric rise up the standings to get them in contention not only for the Atlantic Division, but first place in the Eastern Conference.
However, for Pelley to blame the performance of the Sabres and Canadiens for their struggles is not something that should instill much confidence in the Maple Leafs' fanbase. There have been struggles on the ice that Toronto is going to need to address, starting with its defense and goaltending.
Last season, the Maple Leafs finished eighth in the league in goals against at 2.79, but this season that average has jumped to 3.46, which is the third highest.
For the better part of a decade, the Maple Leafs have dominated the rivalry with the Buffalo Sabres, and that changed this season. In the four meetings between the two teams, the Sabres went 3-0-1, and with how young this group is, the Sabres appear to be a team not going anywhere any time soon.
For the Maple Leafs, they are going to have some work to do, and they won't be able to do it until they stop blaming the performance of division rivals like the Sabres and Canadiens.