One metric often used in this regard is called Fenwick Close, which is essentially attempted shots, for and against, in situations where the score in the game is close.
According to behindthenet.ca, the leading source for these types of stats, the Leafs were second last in the NHL in Fenwick Close, with a mark of 44 per cent that was better than only the Buffalo Sabres.
But possession wasn’t the only trouble spot for Toronto.
In one section of Hockey Abstract, Vollman examines the previous five NHL seasons and picks out the “luckiest” teams involved, with the 2012-13 Leafs eventually finishing No. 1 out of the 150 teams analyzed.
To do so, he looked at five key areas where team success is often very volatile and tends to regress to the mean year over year: shooting and save percentage, special teams, injuries, overtime and shootouts, and one-goal games.
The better teams did in all five areas, the more likely that their success that season was “luck” driven.