The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a familiar position.
The club finished the regular season second in the Atlantic Division and have home-ice advantage for their playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Like last season, the Leafs are still looking to win their first playoff series since 2003-04.
The Leafs have not won a round in 17 seasons, the fifth-longest streak in NHL history. The Florida Panthers, who broke their streak in 2020-21, hold the record at 24 seasons.
Toronto is also tied for fourth on the all-time list with eight consecutive playoff series losses, including six straight seasons (2017-22) from the current core of players.
Most Consecutive Seasons Not Winning a Playoff Round - All-Time
| Team | No. of Seasons | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Panthers | 24 | 1996-97 - 2020-21 |
| Phoenix Coyotes | 23 | 1987-88 - 2010-11 |
| New York Islanders | 21 | 1993-94 - 2014-15 |
| New York Rangers | 20 | 1950-51 - 1969-70 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 17 | 2005-05 - 2021-22* Active |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 17 | 2000-01 - 2017-18 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 17 | 1999-00 - 2016-17 |
Most Consecutive Playoff Rounds Lost - All-Time
| Team | No. of Consecutive losses | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Coyotes | 13 | 1986-87 - 2010-11 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 10 | 1930-31 - 1942-43 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 9 | 1985-86 - 2000-01 |
| New York Rangers | 9 | 1949-50 - 1969-70 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 8 | 1982-83 - 1991-92 |
| New York Islanders | 8 | 1993-93 - 2014-15 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 8 | 2003-04 - 2021-22 |
The Leafs earned a 3-2 series lead last season but failed to close out the Lightning, losing Games 6 and 7 to extend the playoff losing streak to eight. Despite facing the same opponent, Leafs players don’t believe last season’s disappointment has any bearing on the upcoming series.
"Different players and different pieces on both sides, but two teams that are pretty evenly matched,” Auston Matthews said at Monday’s practice.
"I really don't think when you go onto a playoff series you're thinking about what has happened in the past," said forward Alex Kerfoot. "If anything, it fuels you to want to get back there next year and change things and change the narrative around your team or change how people view you.
“I don't think that you're thinking, 'Oh, we've lost before so we're going to lose again.' I don't think that really comes into our minds too much."
The club’s inability to close out series' has been a hallmark of their playoff struggles, as the team has lost 10 consecutive series-clinching opportunities.
Most Consecutive Losses in Clinching Opportunities (NHL/NBA/MLB)
| Team | No. of losses | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg Jets/Arizona Coyotes | 13 | 1990-2012 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 10 | 2013-2022* Active |
| Oakland Athletics | 9 | Oakland Athletics |
The Leafs won the regular-season series 2-1, outscoring the Lightning 11-8. William Nylander led the Leafs with six points in three games against the Bolts. The Leafs improved power play could provide a crucial boost in the series as they converted as many power plays in three games against Tampa Bay this season as it did in the entire seven-game playoff series against the Lightning a year ago.
The Lightning struggled to a 14-15-1 record down the stretch but have a track record of playoff success, as their 84 postseason wins since the 2013-14 season are most in the league.
Most Playoff Wins Since 2013-14 Postseason
| Team | Wins |
|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 84 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 52 |
| Washington Capitals | 44 |
| St. Louis Blues | 44 |
"They went to three Stanley Cup finals in a row," Matthews noted. "I'm pretty sure, regardless of how their game's trended in the last couple months, they're still a team that knows how to win and pull it together this time of year. They've obviously shown that."
"I am expecting an opponent more like we saw in the playoffs last year," said Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe. "More like you are used to seeing and what you have seen from them at different times throughout the season when they were at their best, were elite, and looked like the team that you are accustomed to seeing. With the experience that they have, we would expect nothing but their absolute best. We are going to bring our best as well."
