1. Wins when leading after two periods
The Maple Leafs led the NHL with a .973 winning percentage last season when leading entering the third period (36-0-1). One major reason was goalie Frederik Andersen's .927 even-strength save percentage, which led the NHL among goalies to play at least 57 games. Toronto's success in the category was supported by center John Tavares, who led the NHL with 37 even-strength goals, tied for fifth with eight game-winning goals, and tied for seventh in scoring the first goal of the game, something he did nine times.
2. Barrie's power-play points
Defenseman Tyson Barrie, acquired in a trade from the Colorado Avalanche on July 1, had 55 power-play points (nine goals, 46 assists) over the past two seasons, tied for third among NHL defensemen with Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks behind Keith Yandle of the Florida Panthers (57) and John Carlson of the Washington Capitals (65) in that span. He should help improve the Maple Leafs power play, which ranked eighth in the NHL last season (21.8 percent). Barrie, who averaged the second-most power-play time among NHL defensemen last season (4:03) behind Carlson (4:05), could play on the top power-play unit ahead of defenseman Morgan Rielly, who averaged 2:36 of ice time with the man-advantage last season (28th at the position) and had 21 power-play points (three goals, 18 assists). It's feasible Barrie's skill set could lead Toronto to a top-five finish in power-play percentage this season.
3. Backup goalie save percentage
Michael Hutchinson was 2-3-0 with a .914 save percentage in five starts for the Maple Leafs last season. Garret Sparks, traded to the Vegas Golden Knights on July 23, went 8-9-1 with a .902 save percentage in 20 games (17 starts). Each struggled at even strength; Sparks had a .906 save percentage, tied for 57th among the 75 goalies to play at least five NHL games, and Hutchinson's .900 was tied for 64th among those 75 goalies. Without Sparks, Hutchinson likely will be the backup goalie and will need to improve his even-strength play to take pressure off Andersen, whose 192 games are tied for the NHL lead among goalies over the past three seasons with Devan Dubnyk of the Minnesota Wild.
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