The Toronto Maple Leafs’ recent struggles are obvious, but with the team managing only five wins in their last 18 contests, it’s worth asking: Are those losses really deserved, or has the team just been unlucky?
In the eyes of Leafs radio colour commentator Jim Ralph, there’s no doubt the team has earned their recent losses. But more important than the dropped points is how they’ll steel themselves going forward.
The real issue now, according to Ralph, is character.
“I think one of the things that you’re gonna find out down the final 18 games is what the character is,” said Ralph, who joined Sportsnet Tonight’s JD Bunkis and Dan Riccio on Monday to discuss Toronto’s hunt for the post-season.
The mental aspect of the game, in Ralph’s view, is Toronto’s biggest challenge as the season winds down. If the Leafs have any hope of making the playoffs, they’ll need to find ways to bounce back and win games when they’re down—and find ways to protect a lead when they’re not. Doing so requires composure, and, said Ralph, is just as much a matter of character as anything else.
“I think the biggest test, and it’s gonna result in wins and losses, is what the character is of this team,” he explained. “I think that’s just as important as what the talent level is going forward.”
There’s no question in Ralph’s mind that all those third-period losses have weighed heavily on the Leafs’ young group of players.
“Absolutely,” he said. “And I think that’s what they’ve got to find a way to battle through.”
Ralph pointed to goaltender Frederik Andersen as an example of a player who seems obviously affected when his team starts to slump.
And if there’s one game that could prove to be decisive, Ralph thinks it’s the Leafs’ loss to the Islanders on Feb. 4.
“The most important game, I think, of the season might be the one in Long Island, where they had a 4–2 lead halfway through the period,” he said. “They went up 5–4 with three minutes left, gave up a goal and then lost it in overtime. That’s a significant three-point swing between the Leafs and the New York Islanders right now.”
However much the team faces an uphill battle, though, Ralph is convinced that the Leafs still control their own destiny—so long as they have the character to “battle” through tough games. Toronto currently sits one point out of a wild-card spot.
It won’t be easy, though.
“Let’s face it, if you’re gonna get into the post-season, you better learn how to find a way to protect a one-goal lead in the third period,” he said.
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