The Toronto Maple Leafs earned what could be considered their biggest win of the season on Wednesday as they claimed a playoff spot. They defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2 and became the first team in the Atlantic Division to get a playoff berth. While it’s great that Toronto booked their ticket to the postseason, there’s nothing to celebrate yet. However, what’s more important is that the Leafs separated themselves from the Panthers in the standings.
This is the ninth consecutive season where the Maple Leafs have qualified for the playoffs. They hold the longest active streak of playoff berths in the NHL, breaking the tie with the Boston Bruins. It’s the longest streak the team has had since their run from 1959 to 1967. That run ended when the Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup. Another piece of history is that Toronto has only won its division twice since 1938, 87 years ago. Furthermore, one of those two titles was during the COVID-19-affected season, where all seven Canadian teams faced off in one division.
Still Work To Do For Toronto
Clinching a playoff spot is great, but not nearly the goal for the Maple Leafs to end the regular season. The grand task this regular season is to win the Atlantic Division title. The idea to win the division is talked about extensively, because it gives Toronto the upper hand for their first-round matchup. Not only do they get a more favourable matchup, but they’d have home ice advantage for at least half of the playoffs.
Winning the division also comes with another perk. It would mean the Maple Leafs would likely avoid the Panthers or the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. Toronto has played two series against Tampa Bay and one against Florida in the last three years. Both series against the Lightning were solid showings by the Leafs, losing one in seven games and winning one in six games. In the one series where the Leafs faced the Panthers, it was in the second round where they lost in five games.
Both the Florida teams have been juggernauts over the last few years. Therefore, any team should want to avoid them at all costs.
Maple Leafs Playoff Implications
As of Thursday, Toronto are set to face the Ottawa Senators in the first round. It will be the first Battle of Ontario series since 2004. The Leafs won that series in seven games, but were knocked out in the second round by the Philadelphia Flyers. The Senators haven’t made a playoff appearance in a long time. They’ve been out of the postseason for the last seven years. The last time they were in the playoffs was when they made that run to the conference finals. They were eliminated by Sidney Crosby‘s Pittsburgh Penguins, who went on to win the Cup. Nonetheless, it was a great run with players like Erik Karlsson, Mike Hoffman and Craig Anderson.
However, the Sens are not that team anymore. Some of Ottawa’s core players like Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot have never seen the playoffs. While there is a great argument that these players can handle themselves, the playoffs are a different beast. Only one player in Toronto’s lineup hasn’t featured in a playoff series, and that’s Bobby McMann. He was injured in the latter part of last season, forcing him to miss the playoffs.
Although Ottawa is young and inexperienced, they have something else to look forward to. The Senators have had Toronto’s number for the last three seasons. Since the 2022-23 campaign, the Sens have a 7-3-1 record against the Leafs. Not exactly the most ideal matchup for Toronto given their regular-season history against their provincial rivals. But the playoffs are a whole new story compared to the regular season.
Main Photo Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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