Maple Leafs return to Stanley Cup Playoffs for NHL-leading ninth consecutive year
Plan the parade! With a 3-2 regulation win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs punched their ticket to the 2025 postseason.
With the victory, the Maple Leafs improved to 46-25-4 to hold down top spot in the Atlantic Division with 96 points. The feat also marks the ninth consecutive year in which the Maple Leafs will compete in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL’s longest active streak of postseason appearances.
Under first-year head coach Craig Berube, the Maple Leafs this season continue to bring a dominant offensive attack headlined by pending unrestricted free agent Mitch Marner who has paced the squad with 93 points counting 24 goals and 69 assists coming in 74 games. In all, Marner stands just seven points shy of surpassing his career-high 99 points from two seasons ago, while league wide his 93 points rank fourth-best.
Beyond Marner, the Maple Leafs’ forward core counts three other skaters who have scored 60 points or better, including 28-year-old right winger William Nylander who has picked up 80 points, underscored by a career-high 42 goals, second-best league-wide behind only Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers. Elsewhere, veteran forward John Tavares has continued to display his offensive skill set with 36 goals and 34 assists through 68 appearances. Meanwhile, despite extended injury absences, first-year captain Auston Matthews continues to be a force offensively in managing 29 goals and 40 assists in 60 outings this season.
Between the pipes, first-year Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz has shined, picking up 17 wins in 30 appearances this season, with his latest victory coming Wednesday against his former club.
The Maple Leafs return to the postseason with the hopes of snapping the NHL’s longest active championship drought, a stretch that has seen the Stanley Cup absent from Toronto since 1967. Last season, the Maple Leafs were ousted in the opening round of the playoffs after falling in seven games to the divisional rival Boston Bruins.