Maple Leafs (idle) can clinch playoff spot Tuesday
Published
Despite being off Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs could punch their ticket to the postseason for the ninth straight season.
The Maple Leafs will clinch their playoff spot with either a Montreal Canadiens loss to the Florida Panthers or a Columbus Blue Jackets loss to the Nashville Predators. The Carolina Hurricanes will also secure their playoff spot if either of those two scenarios occur.
Florida will clinch their playoff berth with a win in regulation and a Blue Jackets loss in regulation. The Tampa Bay Lightning can also clinch their spot with a win over the New York Islander and a Panthers win in regulation and a Blue Jackets loss in regulation.
In the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights will clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Edmonton Oilers, or a point against a Oilers and a St. Louis Blues loss in regulation, or a Calgary Flames loss to the Utah Hockey Club in regulation.
Toronto will continue to sit atop the Atlantic Division through Tuesday night, owning a three-point lead over the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, who both have one game in hand.
First-year Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube is closing on seeing the team win the Atlantic Division for the first time since realignment. He will face more demons to exorcise in the playoffs, where Toronto has exited the first round in seven of the past eight years. The Maple Leafs reached the second round in the 2023 playoffs before falling to the Panthers in five games.
The Maple Leafs finished atop the All-Canadian North Division in the shortened 2020-21 season before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round.