Through the first week of January, the Toronto Maple Leafs sit atop the Atlantic Division, riding a three-game winning streak but the first half of the season has presented some challenges. If you ask the Maple Leafs, this is a positive development and a sign of further growth to come.

“I like that it hasn’t been perfect, and what I mean by that is, when it doesn’t go well, we’ve found ways to win,” Maple Leafs forward Max Pacioretty said Sunday morning. “We’ve found ways to correct our mistakes in games that we’ve lost. For the top teams, it’s never perfect early. And I think when you go through a little bit of adversity in terms of style of play and what not, you realize what works and what doesn’t work, and what works in tight games, and what doesn’t in tight games. There are some games that are played and they feel like a playoff game, and you have to change the approach a little bit, and we’ve done a really good job of that thus far.”

Pacioretty has played throughout the lineup and has found his footing on Toronto’s second line alongside John Tavares and William Nylander. The 36-year-old overcame a lower-body injury that kept him out for just under a month, and he’s often been asked to play two different styles, going from an outright scoring presence, to a physical player who can support his star linemates.

“Our style of play has been demanding on ourselves and against other teams I think last game proved that a little bit, it’s not always going to be perfect. Four lines contributing offensively, but four lines wearing teams down. Maybe that’s easier to do at home.”

“It is nice to contribute there in that area (physicality) to help the team,” Pacioretty added. “It’s really, really hard to contribute there and offensively. It’s almost like having two different personalities that you want to have on the ice when it comes to playing poised and making plays and scoring goals, and then playing with a ton of energy and trying to create energy and time and space for your linemates. You can’t really look around the league and find a player that does that consistently, not too many who do both on a consistent basis, each night. And it is a tough job but I do have to balance it better, being able to make plays for my linemates, and then also create time and space for them as well.”

Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube agreed with Pacioretty’s first-half assessment.

“I think we’ve been in a lot of tight games this year, which is a good thing. Learning how to win those games, going into the third period with leads and playing a good period. Low-event in the third, we’re not shooting ourselves in the foot. A lot of good things have happened in the first half here, and there’s obviously things we need to keep improving on. We can’t get complacent.”

Berube particularly emphasized rush defence as an area to improve, which has remained consistent with his assessment of the team throughout December and in the early stages of January.

“I think that’s always a concern for every team, though. It’s such a fast league. Teams transition so quick and the D are always up in the play. Just some better start outs. I think there are a lot of times where we can manage the puck better and not give up opportunities to teams the other way. We’re getting better at it, trust me. I think our team has bought into putting the puck deep, and going to work, but there’s still improvement to be made.”

Maple Leafs defenceman Simon Benoit said the biggest adjustment was getting used to Berube’s system, which emphasizes clean exits out of the zone and making sure there’s constant communication between the five-man unit.

“I think we had to adjust a bit at the starting of the season but I think now everybody is on board, on the same page. Craig did a good job of getting everybody on the same page and working together towards the same point. We’re just excited to keep going.”

Toronto has weathered numerous injuries and a lack of secondary scoring at times, while still remain in first place in the NHL’s most competitive division. Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, there certainly appears to be more than enough room for internal optimism entering the second half of the year.