Losing 6-2 to the Panthers gives Florida a two point lead over the Maple Leafs in the standings and wins on Saturday by the Blues, Devils, Kings, and Kraken provided an actual reward for the Maple Leafs as they are now have a legitimate shot at retaining their first round pick and making a selection in the top five picks of the 2026 draft. Nothing is certain and as Leafs fans, it might be best now to accept there will be heartbreak when the draft lottery takes place, but the odds of this season providing Toronto with something have never been higher.
William Nylander scored, twice, and honestly the fans in attendance deserved that moment. Even if you don’t care if the Leafs win or not right now or actively hoping they lose, they don’t need to be shutout and whether Nylander is a Leaf or not next season, it was a bit of a reminder that he cares.
The game was one that Joseph Woll would like to have had back, just like his last few appearances. There isn’t much of a team in front of him and just trying not to get hurt and stop as much as he can in the process is all that should be reasonably asked of him. He’ll be fine. He’s certainly no worse than any other Leaf this season.
Monday’s game against the Dallas Stars will be their final home game of the season, and Wednesday brings the end of the season on the road in Ottawa. Two strong opponents bode well for the Maple Leafs finishing the year with their draft pick. As much as a glimmer of hope would be nice, that is more likely going to come via a hockey operations hire than on ice success.