The Toronto Maple Leafs sit three points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning and four points ahead of the Florida Panthers for the lead in the Atlantic Division, with seven games to go (depending on what happened last night, as this was written and submitted ahead of time).
That statement is certainly a pleasant surprise as the consensus back in September was that the Panthers would steamroll their way to the division title. Moreover, there was no telling whether Craig Berube’s system would work out.
Fast-forward to April, and the answers are that the Panthers did not steamroll their way to the division lead and Berube’s system did work out as intended.
That situation places the Toronto Maple Leafs in the driver’s seat to win the Atlantic Division. All they need to do is the lion’s share of remaining games this season. In short, all the Leafs need to do is win to capture the Division.
Now, let’s assume that’s the case. The Leafs win the Atlantic Division and enter the 2025 NHL playoffs as the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference. That situation places the Leafs against the first wild card team.
Guess who that is: The Ottawa Senators.
It seems fitting that in a season in which the Leafs are poised to win the Atlantic Division, their first-round opponent would be the Senators. But such are the twists of fate. In fact, the Battle of Ontario is something the NHL, and hockey fans in general, are hoping will materialise.
The Battle of Ontario will make for great TV. The ratings should be through the roof. Unless things drastically change, the Leafs and Sens are on a collision course in the first round of the 2025 NHL playoffs.
Looking at other possible first-round scenarios for Toronto Maple Leafs
While it seems highly likely the Leafs and Sens will meet in the postseason for the first time since 2003-2004, there is a chance that a different playoff scenario could come to fruition.
The Florida Panthers have picked to worst time to hit a rough patch. They’ve lost three in a row, including a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in their last outing. The Cats are 4-5-1 in their last 10, and looking like they’re running out of gas.
Meanwhile, the Senators have been on a solid run in the second half of this season. They’re 5-4-1 in their last 10 and face the Panthers on Saturday afternoon. If the Senators win, they could close the gap to four points for third place in the Atlantic Division.
As such, the Senators could potentially catch the Panthers, or the Tampa Bay Lightning, for third place in the Atlantic. Such a situation could leave the Leafs playing the Panthers or the Lightning in the first round.
It seems almost ironic that such a scenario could materialise. But then again, that’s a situation that’s beyond the Leafs’ control.
While it would certainly be interesting to see the Leafs and Sens meet in this year’s playoffs, it might not necessarily happen in the first round. We could have a second-round matchup between the Leafs and Sens.
Considering the Senators swept the season series this year, Ottawa may finally get revenge on the Leafs for past playoff heartache.
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