Toronto Maple Leafs: November Outlook

The Start of November

On November 2nd, the Maple Leafs will start off on the road with a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. They will follow that up with a 3 game homestand against the Los Angeles Kings, the Vegas Golden Knights and a rematch against the Flyers. The Maple Leafs will have a day off in between each of these three games for rest and practice.

The rematch against the Flyers, taking place on November 9th, is the first game of a back to back that weekend. On November 10th, the Maple Leafs play the Chicago Blackhawks, in Chicago. This will be the first set of three back to backs the Maple Leafs will have in November.

Starting Healthier

The Maple Leafs will start November with a healthy defence core now that Travis Dermott has returned from injury. Dermott started the season on Long Term Injury Reserve (LTIR) after having shoulder surgery in May. Dermott returned to the lineup on October 29th. The team might also have their captain John Tavares return from injury in time to play the Flyers on November 2nd. Tavares has been out of the lineup since suffering a broken finger on October 16th in a game against the Washington Capitals.

With both Dermott and Tavares back in the lineup, the Maple Leafs will hope to start November in the win column. Having Dermott back does bring a little more stability to the Maple Leafs defence. If Tavares returns, then the Maple Leafs have another scoring threat for other teams to worry about.

November Gets Tough

After the game in Chicago on November 10th, the Maple Leafs will play seven of their remaining nine games on the road. If that wasn’t bad enough, they will also play two more sets of back to back games. They will play back to back on November 15th and 16th against the Boston Bruins (at home) and Pittsburgh Penguins (on the road).

The game against the Penguins is the start of six straight road games for the Maple Leafs. This will be the teams longest road trip of the season and a tough challenge. Other than the Penguins, the road trip will also see the Maple Leafs play tough opponents such as the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche and Buffalo Sabres. The Maple Leafs close out the month against the Sabres in a back to back, home and home, series on November 29th and 30th.

A Tenacious Return

The month of November could also see the return of Zach Hyman into the Maple Leafs lineup. Hyman like Dermott started the season on (LTIR) after having surgery in May. He suffered a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) during the 2019 Playoffs. So far this season it has become obvious that the Maple Leafs have been missing Hyman’s tenacious mentality. Hyman attacks a puck the same way a dog attacks a chew toy. He’ll stop at nothing to get what he’s after and winning puck battles is crucial in the Maple Leafs hopes of improving.

Summary

November will prove to be a tough test for the Maple Leafs, but they hope the returns of Dermott, Tavares and Hyman can help them pass it. The test begins this Saturday in Philadelphia against the Flyers.

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