NHL Power Rankings: Lightning strikes, Flames burn out

8. Toronto Maple Leafs (+1)

James Van Riemsdyk could not have picked a better time to get hot and start scoring goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He leads the team in goals with 34 and is an upcoming unrestricted free agent. Toronto likely will not be able to keep him because he will be one of the highest paid free agents this summer. As the Leafs continue to build their young core they will need to pay their young stars and cannot afford a major investment in a veteran like Van Riemsdyk. The Leafs are on a clear path to the Boston Bruins in the first round and will need Van Riemsdyk to stay constant to have any chance to beat the Bruins.

The Maple Leafs are just about locked into the third seed in the Atlantic division. They would need to gain six points on the Bruins in five games to catch them and secure home-ice advantage during the first round. Toronto has won three of their last five games, including a big win against the Nashville Predators. The two games they lost were against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres two teams on the opposite end of the spectrum. The Leafs’ final five games are winnable. They start against the struggling New York Islanders before facing the Winnipeg Jets. Then they face the Buffalo Sabres, who have given them trouble all year, before heading to New Jersey to take on the Devils. Finally, they end their regular season at home against the Montreal Canadiens.