There is perhaps no greater motivator in the NHL this season than defiance.

The Detroit Red Wings were going to lose a coach and age out of the playoffs; instead, they lead the Atlantic. The Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames were written off in the West; they’re on the bubble. The Florida Panthers play to empty seats and might fill them in the postseason. Even the Buffalo Sabres have suddenly shifted their tank into reverse.

Then there are the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A team that hit rock bottom, had sand kicked in their faces as they were defecated upon, before brushing themselves off, ignoring those that maligned them and beginning the long climb back.

Nov. 15, 2014: The Leafs lose 6-2 to the Buffalo Sabres, then the worst team in hockey. The story after the game was that Phil Kessel snubbed a reporter. Thus began the debate about his leadership. Again.

Nov. 18, 2014: The Leafs lose 9-2 to the Nashville Predators on home ice. Calls to fire coach Randy Carlyle were deafening. They were a festering dumpster fire and the worst kind of mess. It very much felt like we were one more loss away from Brendan Shanahan sitting down with the media holding a glass of scotch and shrugging as he says “I got nuthin’.”

Nov. 20, 2014: The Leafs post a 5-2 win over a very good Tampa Bay Lightning team. A win! New momentum! Everything’s coming up Randy! Oh, wait … the story after the game is that the team didn’t raise their sticks to salute the fans that had been booing and jeering and hissing and throwing jerseys on the ice and generally calling for the team to be demolished and rebuilt. HOW DARE THESE SELFISH MILLIONAIRES HAVE HUMAN FEELINGS.

Since then, the Leafs have lost two games: One to the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime and one to the New Jersey Devils on home ice, in one of those “our opponent has everyone injured and so this should be easy and oh crap we just lost” trap games.

Including the Lightning game, the Leafs are on a 9-1-1 streak, which is an appropriate number to follow the absolute crime of giving up nine goals on home ice.

They’ve outscored opponents 43-25 during that stretch; and with 39 points in 30 games, they’re currently seven points up on the second wild card and two points away from the top of the division.

Repeating our top story: Two points away from the top of the division.

It’s a hell of a roll that naturally has the few, the proud, the Randy Carlyle supporters participating in that grand Toronto tradition of the December victory lap. But the essential question remains:

Are you buying into this Leafs team? Or is that other one, the feckless mess of ill-fitting parts that was destined for an off-season reimagining, the team you believe they are?

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Let’s begin with the superficially obvious: The Leafs were pissed off and embarrassed after the Predators loss. In themselves. In the media. In their supporters.

It manifested in that decision not to salute the fans … ahem, sorry, in a “change in their routine.” What could have been another petty tangent from the media ended up being a rallying point for the team. Whatever “us against the world” mentality crept into the Toronto room, it’s lingered there for 11 games.

Nine of the 11 games in the streak were played on home ice. They won eight of them. Prior to that, they were a middling 6-5 on home ice. Something changed, and they’ve taken advantage of their home ice.

But it’s not just attitudinal. The fact is that the Leafs were set up better this season than last from a personnel standpoint, and that’s played a role here too.

Which is to say they shockingly don’t miss Colton Orr’s six minutes on the ice and seven in the box every game.

Mike Santorelli (22 points, plus-17), Daniel Winnik (12 points, plus-11), Richard Panik (six goals, and a shrewd fourth-line pickup in-season) have all made this forward group better. So did Leo Komarov before his injury.

Speaking of injuries: Roman Polak has missed the entirety of this streak. He’s their second-leading ice time defenseman. But his loss hasn’t been humbling.

And speaking of defense: Dion Phaneuf has actually been asked to do less this season. From Jonas Siegel of TSN:

He’s had the lowest offensive zone start percentage of any defender in hockey a year ago – 22.7 per cent – but that number has risen closer to 30 per cent this year. His defensive zone starts, meanwhile, have dropped nearly five percentage points to less than 32 per cent.

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