Keefe: Leafs’ defensive commitment key to division title

Give the D an A.

That’s the Maple Leafs’ team defence as a whole, not just what the six-man blueline group might have accomplished on any given night.

For Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe, the Leafs’ defensive work is what propelled the team to its clinching of the North Division title on Saturday night with a win against the Montreal Canadiens.

“I look at where our team needed to grow and what our focus was,” Keefe said. “We felt really good about our team offensively. But we knew we had to get better defensively.

“Last season, we were pretty close to the bottom of the league at five-on-five goals against, and this season we’re in the top five.

“I would put it there, the team’s commitment to defending. We got good goaltending throughout the season as well, despite the fact that we had adversity and used four goaltenders.

“The fact that we’re able to keep the puck out of our net is the biggest reason why were able to be as consistent as we were to maintain our spot atop the division.”

The Leafs’ turnaround is remarkable.

In 2019-20, they were 28th in the National Hockey League in goals against at five on five, allowing 157 in 70 games. They were fourth in goals for at five on five with 158.

In 2020-21, the Leafs were fifth at five-on-five goals against through games on Saturday, allowing 90 in 54 games. In goals for at five on five, the Leafs were second with 128.

A 70-game pace this season would find the Leafs at 117 goals against and 166 goals for.

How dominant have the Leafs been? They had been atop the North for 106 of the season’s 116 days when they clinched.

With two games remaining in the regular season, on the road on Wednesday in Ottawa and on Friday in Winnipeg, the club will have some extra time in the next while before the Stanley Cup playoffs get underway. The Leafs had Sunday off and returned to practice on Monday.

“We’ll assess where our players are individually,” Keefe said. “Bumps and bruises, and the guys who have been pushing through things, we’ll get a better handle on that.”