Mitch Marner becomes fourth Toronto Maple Leafs player to hit century mark

Toronto Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner scored a goal late in the third period during the Leafs-Sabres matchup on Tuesday night to become the 4th player in team history to hit the century mark in points.

Marner joins Darryl Sittler, Doug Gilmour, and teammate Auston Matthews as the only players to get 100 points in franchise history.

Here’s a look at the goal:

The tally was Marner’s 27th of the season. Most importantly, it was a crucial insurance goal as it put the Toronto Maple Leafs up 2-0 over the Sabres.

The Leafs grabbed the lead in the second period on Steven Lorentz’s eighth of the season. The Leafs hung tough, holding the Sabres’ late charge back.

Fortunately, Marner’s tally gave the Leafs some wiggle room, in addition to becoming one of the team’s most significant milestones.

Toronto Maple Leafs blank Buffalo Sabres, confirm first-round meeting with Senators

Marner’s tally helped the Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 at the KeyBank Center on Tuesday night. With the win, the Leafs officially locked up first place in the Atlantic Division.

It’s the first time since 2021 that the Leafs have won their division. Of course, that 2021 win came in the all-Canadian division during the COVID realignment. As such, that win technically does count. As my colleague Stephen Nixon pointed out, the last time the Leafs won their division
outright was all the way back in 2000.

I should point out the world was a much different place in 2000. I was in my first year of college and the Leafs had managed to bounce back after a couple of sour seasons in the late 90s. The Leafs had one of the best teams money could buy at the time, with Mats Sundin leading the way.

However, the world has changed significantly since then. The Maple Leafs went through some terrible seasons, including the Shanaplan rebuild. But a new playoff season is upon us, one that will rekindle the Battle of Ontario. The Last time the Leafs and Senators met was in 2004 when the Leafs
bounced the Sens in seven games during their first-round matchup.

Despite winning their division, the Maple Leafs, by no means, have assured their pass to the second round. The Senators swept the season series this year. While that is meaningless in the postseason, it is, nonetheless, a harbinger of what could befall the Leafs this season.

What would the world look like if the Leafs lost yet again in the first round? I’m afraid to say this, but the Leafs are primed to be the biggest first-round upset this season. If the last three weeks have been any indication, though, the Leafs could bulldoze the Senators.Regardless of the outcome, we will be in for a historic series in the coming days.