The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into the final month of the 2024-25 NHL regular season in a constant battle for first place in the Atlantic Division. With the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning battling the Leafs for the division lead, the final three weeks of the season will be intense. Once the regular season is over, April only gets harder with the start of the NHL playoffs.
April will see the Toronto Maple Leafs play their final eight games of the season in an even split with four games at home and away. All eight games are against teams from the Eastern Conference, and six of those games are against teams from the Leafs own division. Every game should be treated as a must-win, especially the two games against the Panthers and the game against the Lightning. First place could be on the line in all three of those games.
Should the Leafs find themselves in first place and winning the Atlantic Division by season's end, they will play the first wild card team. Before last night's games, that spot belongs to the Ottawa Senators, who hold a seven-point lead over the Montreal Canadiens. However, one losing streak by the Senators (84 points) and a winning streak by the Canadiens (77 Pts), New York Islanders (74 Pts), New York Rangers (77 Pts), Columbus Blue Jackets (75 Pts), or Detroit Red Wings (74 Points), and the standings could be different by mid-April.
Please note that the Leafs final game of the season is on April 17th, and the NHL playoffs begin on the 18th. It is safe to assume that the Leafs first-round series will begin on Saturday, April 19th. So, without further ado, let's see what the final month of the season holds in store for the Leafs. Plus, who will get the start in game one of the playoffs? Anthony Stolarz or Joseph Woll? Sounds like Max Pacioretty will be ready for game one. Let's hope all the Leafs, including the team's leader in goals, William Nylander, are healthy for round one.
Toronto Maple Leafs April Schedule
The Leafs will start the month of April on home ice after a three-game road trip through California. As fate would have it, the Leafs will begin the month with a game against the Panthers on Wednesday, April 2nd. They will then have two days off before they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, April 5th.
The Leafs will have another two-day break as they fly to Florida to play the Panthers (April 8th) and Lightning (April 9th) on back-to-back nights. These two games will be the biggest set of back-to-back games the Leafs have played all season. There is so much on the line in these two games for three teams.
After another rest period of two days, the Leafs return home on April 12th to host the Montreal Canadiens in the final Hockey Night in Canada broadcast of the season. It's only fitting that the last HNIC game of the season is between the NHL's two longest rivals. Hopefully, for the Leafs, the game ends in regulation, as they will play the very next night (April 13th) in an early game (5:00 pm) on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Leafs will play their final road game of the season on April 15th against the Buffalo Sabres. They will then return home to host the Detroit Red Wings in their final home game of the season on April 17th. As mentioned above, the Leafs will likely start their first-round playoff series on Saturday, April 19th, so there will be little time to prepare.