Maple Leafs’ Playoff Hopes Slip Away as Bruins’ Latest Point Shakes Up NHL Standings

The road to the playoffs has been anything but kind to the Toronto Maple Leafs this season — and after the games on January 26th, their struggle deepened even further. The Bruins, despite a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss against a rebuilding New York Rangers squad, managed to snag a crucial point, pushing the Leafs down to six points shy of a playoff berth. What’s wild here is that even if Boston had sealed the win, it wouldn’t have changed Toronto’s standing much, given Montreal’s simultaneous shuffle in the wild card hunt. With just five games left before the NHL takes its Olympic break in Italy, Toronto faces a steep climb ahead. They’re gearing up to host the Buffalo Sabres next — a team six points clear but holding a higher Atlantic Division spot thanks to fewer games played — and boy, this one’s a must-win. The Leafs, currently on a rough four-game skid, desperately need those points before embarking on a tough West Coast swing. Looking at the odds, MoneyPuck.com pegged Toronto’s playoff chances at a slim 7.6 percent just this Monday. It’s a tense, nail-biting chase that’s far from over, but the margin for error is vanishing fast. LEARN MORE

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to get absolutely no breaks from the rest of the NHL when it comes to their hunt for a playoff spot.

Following games played on Jan. 26, the Toronto Maple Leafs fell to six points out of a playoff spot after the Boston Bruins picked up a single point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Rangers on Monday.

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It was a disappointing result for the Bruins, who had a 3-2 lead in the third period against the openly rebuilding New York Rangers before Will Borgen tied the game with 6:17 to go in regulation time.

That additional point means the Leafs were pushed further down to six points out the second wild card spot. They went into Monday’s action down five points out of a playoff spot. It turns out that had the Bruins won the game, it wouldn’t have impacted the Leafs’ deficit at all, since the Montreal Canadiens would have moved down to the second wild card position ahead of the Leafs by the same six points.

The Leafs certainly have their work cut out for them with five games remaining before the NHL schedule pauses for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

The Maple Leafs host the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. The Sabres are six points up on the Leafs, but hold the third-place spot in the Atlantic Division by virtue of fewer games played over Boston and Montreal (both with 63 points). Needless to say, this game is big for Toronto, who are on a four-game losing streak and needs to pick up some points before heading west, where they will embark on a four-game road trip against the Seattle Kraken, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and wrap up against the Edmonton Oilers.

MoneyPuck.com opened Monday by listing the probability of the Leafs making the playoffs at 7.6 percent.