AsNHL fans and customers atOntario sportsbooks await the end of 2023, theToronto Maple Leafs Currently sitting in the second spot in the Atlantic Division, the Toronto Maple Leafs are narrowing the gap with the front-running Boston Bruins. However, they aren't the only Canadian franchise vying for the top position in the NHL.
As the Central Division's third-place team going into Wednesday's matchups, the Winnipeg Jets are merely a point shy of the top spot, while the Vancouver Canucks hold second in the Pacific Division, also just one point from the leader. It's a competitive situation where any or all three teams could find themselves in first place by January 1. This prompted us to review how previous NHL teams have fared in the standings after ringing in the New Year as division leaders.
deereplanet.com , where you’ll findStanley Cup odds Throughout the season, we utilized data from SHRPSports.com to analyze the past five NHL seasons, excluding the shortened 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, checking each season's performance as of January 1. The resulting chart below illustrates how each team that was atop their division at the start of the year concluded the season.
How NHL Division Leaders at the Start of January Conclude Their Seasons
Maple Leafs Surging To Top Of Atlantic
The Toronto Maple Leafs, after kicking off the season slowly, surged through December with a remarkable record of 4-0-3 in their first seven games, racking up 11 out of a potential 14 points. They hadn't faced a loss in regulation until their recent game against the New York Rangers, where they were defeated 5-2 on their home ice. At present, with odds of 13.83 to capture the Stanley Cup, the Maple Leafs find themselves six points behind the Bruins in the Atlantic Division, having played one game fewer.Pinnacle Ontario Sportsbook Even following the loss on Tuesday, it seems that the turnaround for Toronto might be genuine. A significant contributor to this momentum has been Mitch Marner, who has revitalized his performance after a challenging season start, securing 14 points over the last nine matches.
How the Maple Leafs conclude 2023 is likely contingent on their goaltending situation. Newly acquired goalkeeper Ilya Samsonov has had a rough patch, and now Joseph Woll is sidelined due to injury. Veteran Martin Jones has been called up from the AHL Marlies as a response to Woll's situation and, in his first three outings, has only allowed four goals from 79 shots, yielding a .949 save percentage. Nevertheless, following the four-goal outing against New York, it's uncertain if he can maintain this level of play.
Toronto has five remaining games in 2023, including a matchup against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, where the Sabres enter as a +130 moneyline underdog against the Leafs, who are favorites at -159. If Toronto starts 2024 atop their division, historical patterns suggest they have a 65% chance of finishing the regular season in first place and a 10% likelihood of clinching the Stanley Cup.
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Currently, the Jets are trailing the Stars and Avalanche by just one point, holding 39 points in total. Despite their decent showing, Winnipeg is not regarded as a formidable contender for the Stanley Cup, as they are available at longer odds of +2800.
In the meantime, the Canucks secured a victory against the Nashville Predators, winning 5-2 on Tuesday, and now find themselves only a point away from dominating the Pacific Division. With 46 points, Vancouver stands second overall in the NHL, just behind last season’s Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights. Nonetheless, they also have +2800 odds to win the cup on Bet365.
In the past five seasons, only the 2022 Vegas Golden Knights and the 2018 Washington Capitals emerged as Stanley Cup champions after leading their divisions on January 1. In contrast, during the 2021-22 season, none of the four teams (Tampa Bay, Washington, St. Louis, and Vegas) that held the top spot on January 1 were able to finish there. Furthermore, in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, all four leaders on New Year’s Day failed to reach the conference finals.PointsBet Canada Sportsbook .
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