Going up? Maple Leafs might have to take the stairs in packed division

Picture that crowded elevator where some mischievous kid has pressed every floor on the way up, leaving anxious passengers stuck in frustrating ascension.

That’s daily life in the NHL’s Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division in particular where Monday found all eight teams between 49 points (Detroit) and 40 (Toronto). Next door in the Metropolitan, it’s eight points dividing seven clubs, 49 to 41, with Columbus very much in it with 38.

A deeper dive:

HISTORICAL CLAUSTROPHOBIA

For the Atlantic, this nine-point gap is its tightest race this late in the season since 2013-14, as calculated by NHL Stats through 600 games before Sunday. Will it stay this congested?

In ‘17-18 things were just as packed in the Metro when every team was still between 63 to 54 points on Jan. 30 and the Central race was a 59-50 spread on Jan. 17.

For the lowballed Leafs, who took three of a possible four from Atlantic foes Ottawa and Detroit, that brought them some relief this past weekend, though hardly moving the needle in the standings. The two points separating them from a wildcard spot had potential to lengthen with Ottawa, the Rangers and Florida all in action Monday night while they idle.

“We’re going to find ourselves in a lot of these games,” forewarned alternate captain John Tavares to media in Detroit on Sunday after the 3-2 overtime loss. “Especially within our division. We have to find a way to come out on the right side of it. We’ll take the point tonight, dwell on some good things, clean up our neutral zone and look to a big week ahead.”

Almost halfway through the schedule, they’re all big now, John.

HOME REPAIRS

Neutral zone housekeeping has been your club’s challenge all season after Craig Berube ran such a tight ship his first year.

While the 40 points keeps the Leafs with all the cool kids in contention, Monday also found them with the most giveaways in the league, 647 in 38 games.

That’s an average of nearly 17 through 60 minutes, and while fumbles can be a subjective stat from building to building, we suspect the Leafs’ own numbers can’t be far off league data.

Toronto’s principal goaltenders, Joseph Woll, Dennis Hildeby and the injured Anthony Stolarz must be on high alert at all times to stamp out self-starting fires. All three have made more than 300 saves, the only trio in the NHL with that workload as looked up by Sportsnet.

Things should settle down a bit now that Chris Tanev is back on the blueline and Brandon Carlo could return from foot surgery sometime this week.

CHECKING CLASS ATTENDANCE

Speaking of injuries, it’s hoped William Nylander won’t be gone more than a game after departing Saturday on the 7-5 win over Ottawa, travelling to Detroit, but sitting out. The leading scorer had just begun plugging into an improved power play, that was 3-for-5 on the weekend.

Auston Matthews was slowed by a left leg shot block on Sunday after his fourth point in two games, no doubt hearing the echo of the post he rang with an overtime drive before Sunday’s loss.

With regular centre Tavares and either Matthew Knies or Matias Maccelli, Nylander’s line is a good complement to the newly formed trio of Matthews between Bobby McMann and Max Domi.

Monday was mandated off before the Leafs host former coach Sheldon Keefe’s New Jersey Devils and enter 2026 in a Thursday encounter with a Western Conference foe, the Winnipeg Jets.

Lhornby@postmedia.com

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