Leafs in a much better place ahead of rematch with Anaheim Ducks

When last they met the Anaheim Ducks it was the Maple Leafs’ lowest point of the season.

In that contest at the Honda Center on Oct. 30, Toronto blew a 3-1 lead before it lost in overtime to a club that had gone winless for seven games.

It was the final contest on a Western road swing where the Maple Leafs lost all four and fell to 4-4-2 for 2022-23.

It is hard to believe, but since then they have lost just once in regulation time during a 14-1-4 run and have climbed to within three points of the Boston Bruins in the NHL’s Atlantic Division.

“Certainly now we are in a different place than we were when we left California,” Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said following practice on Monday at the Ford Performance Centre. The Ducks and Maple Leafs renew hostilities again on Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena.

One has turned its season around since then. The other – Anaheim – is 7-18-3 and has the fewest points (17) among the league’s 32 teams.

“The guys sensed the urgency of the moment both at that time and also due to the amount of injuries we had in goal and on defence,” Keefe said. “That in itself really got the team’s attention.

“We have talked about that as we are starting to get healthy here now. We don’t want to lose what we have gained in terms of our mindset.”

Toronto has survived injuries to netminders Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov and more that struck its defensive corps. Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly and Jordie Benn remain sidelined and T.J. Brodie just returned.

Benn practiced with his teammates on Monday for the first time since he suffered an upper-body injury against the Devils in New Jersey on Nov. 23. The 35-year-old is still probably a bit away from getting back into the lineup.

After shutting out two opponents in a row, the Maple Leafs were nicked for four goals on Saturday by the Flames but went on to win in overtime on a goal by Mitch Marner.

It stood out as a sloppy performance in the middle of a stretch of well-played games.

“As a coach you would love not to have those kinds of games,” Keefe said. “You would love to be sharp but the reality is that ones where you are not can creep back in.

“The hope is that when you have a game like that you snap out of it quickly and get back to what has allowed you to succeed. The good news is that we still found a way to get the two points. Early in the season it was not the case.”

There is much more good than bad right now. Marner has points in 22 straight games and Michael Bunting has points in each of the last eight. Auston Matthews has goals in six of the past seven contests, and Samsonov is yet to lose in seven home games.

Samsonov is 8-2 with a .933 save percentage and will get the nod against Anaheim.

The Ducks look like they are ready to get roasted; they will face Toronto in the second of a back-to-back after meeting the Senators in Ottawa on Monday.

“The last time we saw them we weren’t playing to our capabilities,” John Tavares, the Leafs captain, said. “I think we were a little tight at times and disconnected.

“We weren’t happy with where our game was at but we stuck with it. We knew we had to be better more consistently in some areas and things have now snowballed well.

“You always look to get better regardless of the situation. Sometimes you are not always going to be your sharpest. You are going to make a mistake here or there. You have to work through those and find a way to win.

“On Saturday I think we did that.”