A quick look at the numbers shows a drastic and important change in Toronto since February 1st

There were inconsistencies almost everywhere throughout the first half of the season. Joseph Woll was injured and Ilya Samsonov was struggling, secondary scoring was non-existent, the powerplay had gone cold, they couldn't kill penalties, and the defensive zone was an absolute mess. These issues have since been addressed and things have been fine tuned and cleaned up significantly, much to the delight of head coach Sheldon Keefe.

One of the Maple Leafs' absolute biggest issues this season has been defending leads and positioning themselves well in their defensive zone. From October 1st to February 1st the Leafs were ranked 28th in shots against/60 and 26th in goals against/60. Shots were coming in from every angle and players were often out of position. When the goaltending was struggling, it was almost impossible to get that important save to close out games.

Fortunately, when February came around, the team rallied together and put up their best month of the season. Toronto went from allowing some of the most shots and goals per game to completely flipping the script. Since February 1st the Maple Leafs have the second best shots against/60 and are ranked 9th in goals against/60.

They still lost another late lead Saturday night against the New York Rangers, but this team is playing a lot more responsibly in their defensive zone and the numbers are showing that. If they can continue improving and strive to be a top team defensively, it would really allow them to go the distance in the playoffs when the smaller details are a lot more important. The regular season is where you address issues and build Stanley Cup habits. Hopefully the Leafs are doing just that.