It is Monday, November 2, and while some teams are busy tonight, my beloved Maple Leafs are not among them. We sit at 8-6-2, three games back in the Atlantic Division with 68 games left to play. It is a long, winding road, and as any Leafs fan knows, the season is very much alive, though my blood pressure suggests otherwise. We are in the thick of the race, not that being 'in the race' has historically saved us from heartbreak. Looking back at yesterday, November 1, it was a rough day for some, with Winnipeg taking a 0-7 loss to Carolina and Minnesota beating Washington 5-1. Philadelphia handled Utah 6-3, Edmonton took down the Rangers 4-1, and Anaheim beat Ottawa 6-3. For tonight, we have Vegas in Boston, Detroit in Florida, Colorado in Chicago, and Calgary visiting San Jose. I’ll be watching, naturally, because that is what we do. We suffer, we watch, and we hope that maybe, just maybe, this is the year the drought ends. But until then, it is just hockey, coffee, and the familiar sting of being a Toronto fan. Stay strong, friends—we have a long winter ahead of us.