The Toronto Maple Leafs have done it again. Toronto has clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday night despite not playing again until Wednesday.
The Maple Leafs' ticket was actually punched thanks to an Atlantic Division rival. The Buffalo Sabres lost to the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in a shootout, which clinched Toronto's spot in the playoffs.
While the Maple Leafs are officially in, this was a foregone conclusion for a while now. Toronto sits second place in the Atlantic on 97 points, holding a seven-point lead over the third-place Tampa Bay Lightning.
Speaking of the Lightning, Tampa Bay is the most likely opponent for the Maple Leafs in the first round. Toronto is 22 points back of the Boston Bruins for first in the Atlantic. And the Lightning are 11 points ahead of the Florida Panthers for third in the division.
The Lightning and Maple Leafs had a highly entertaining first-round series last season. That ended with a Tampa Bay victory, and they went on to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.
For Toronto, the team has not had similar recent playoff success. While this is their seventh straight appearance, the team has not won a playoff series since the 2004 season.
Historically, the Maple Leafs are one of the NHL's most decorated teams. They have won 13 Stanley Cups in their history, second-most behind the Montreal Canadiens (24) and one spot ahead of the Detroit Red Wings (11).
However, Toronto is in a significant Stanley Cup drought. The last time the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup was 1967 when they defeated the Canadiens in six games to capture the Cup.
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