If you’re as cynical as I am, you sat down on Wednesday evening to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Florida Panthers with a combination of dread and resignation in your heart. The Leafs held their destiny in their hand, and while they still do, Wednesday was an opportunity to gain a little distance at the top of the division. Compounding the pressure, the Panthers had lost to the Canadiens in overtime the night before, only getting one point out of their game in hand.
All that to say is that I fully expected the Leafs to choke, and was pleasantly surprised with their performance. While the Panthers were missing a number of key players, Tkachuk, Ekblad, Barkov, Kulikov, and Sturm, it was still an impressive showing against a tenacious hockey team.
Winning the division this year is incredibly significant, thereby avoiding a first-round matchup against either the Tampa Bay Lightning or the Florida Panthers. While not out of the realm of possibility, it’s highly unlikely the Ottawa Senators make up their six-point deficit on the Panthers before the end of the season, and so winning the division would mean a Battle of Ontario matchup. The last time this happened in the postseason was the 2003–04 playoffs, in which the Leafs matched up against the Sens in the first round, winning in seven.
The Leafs are definitely still in a battle for first in the Atlantic, despite their three-point cushion over the Lightning and a clinched playoff spot, and the next seven games to close out the season will be crucial. Honestly, it feels like it’s been a long while since meaningful games in March or April, so we thought we’d take a look back and figure out just how long it’s been.
A look back
With their guaranteed playoff berth, the Leafs currently have the longest active playoff streak in the League, at nine years. (Please don’t look at the playoff record over this streak, it’ll just make you sad).
| Season | Playoff Clinch Date | Games Played | Points away from first |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | April 2, 2025 | 75 | In 1st place – 3 points clear |
| 2023-24 | April 5, 2024 | 75 | 10 |
| 2022-23 | March 27, 2023 | 73 | 22 |
| 2021-22 | April 9, 2022 | 72 | 8 |
| 2020-21 | April 28, 2021* | 49* | In 1st place – 8 points clear |
| 2019-20 | COVID shortened season | ||
| 2018-19 | April 1, 2019 | 79 | 25 |
| 2017-18 | March 29, 2018 | 77 | 8 |
| 2016-17 | April 8, 2017 | 81 | 8 |
Looking at the chart, it becomes clear that the Leafs haven’t had much to play for in the last few games of the season, basically since 2017.
In every other season, the Leafs had a comfortable enough lead over the wild card teams that it wasn’t really a concern, and so the first round matchup was all but guaranteed.
In 2017, the Leafs were fighting until basically the last game and managed to squeeze in, surprising most people, especially considering we finished last in the league the previous season. (All Praise to our Lord and Saviour, Auston Matthews. Amen).
Recent history
In the seasons since 2017, it honestly felt like the Leafs cruised into a playoff spot, and the months post the trade deadline felt like dead air until meaningful games in the postseason.
This season feels different, and while much has already been written about the state of the Leafs game, including by yours truly, they also seem to be playing with an intensity that seems new. Craig Berube has stressed all year the importance of playing playoff-style hockey in the regular season, and the seven games remaining could almost be considered a precursor series to the first round.
Any amount of easing on the gas pedal could allow either the Lightning or the Panthers to easily catch up, significantly hampering our chances of making a deep run. While it’s highly likely we will have to go through at least one of those teams in a quest for the Cup, having them meet each other in the first round can only be a good thing.
On a more amorphous idea, maybe feeling the intensity right up until the end of the season will lead to different results than the previous eight years. If the Leafs are forced to keep up the intensity, knowing that each game truly matters, maybe they’ll be better prepared and have a more consistent series, something that has so far eluded this current era in Toronto.
We’ll have to wait and see
I’ll be the first to admit I’m not prone to optimism when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs. I’ll believe a different result is possible once it actually happens, and until then, I’ll remain guarded and more than a little cynical. However, even I can admit that something feels different here, whether that actually leads to something new, only time will tell.
I’ll leave you with two last thoughts:
The last time both the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings missed the playoffs? 1967.
The last time the Toronto Maple Leafs made the playoffs for nine straight years? 1967.
