Last time Leafs made second round playoffs

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost Game 7 on home ice Saturday, 2-1, to the Tampa Bay Lightning. They are now 0-9 in elimination games in their last five playoff appearances.

"We're getting sick and tired of feeling like this," said Leafs forward Mitch Marner. "This one is going to sting for quite a bit."

The Leafs haven't won a playoff series since 2004. That came in the first round against the Ottawa Senators, where they won in seven games. Since 2017, the Leafs have lost four Game 7s: twice to the Boston Bruins (2018, 2019), once to the Montreal Canadiens (2021) and to the Lightning.

In back-to-back seasons, the Leafs had a 3-2 series lead, before eventually falling short.

"The outcome is very similar," Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly said.

Toronto set a franchise record in wins and points this season (54-21-7), finishing second in the Atlantic Division. Auston Matthews became the first Maple Leaf to record 60 goals in a single season. Marner had a career-high year in scoring, posting 97 points.

But the streak of 18 years and counting without a playoff series win continues. The Leafs also have the longest Stanley Cup drought, their last championship happening in 1967.

"I just told them they had lots of reasons to be proud of the work that they did to put us in this position," said Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe.

"But we're in the winning business and we didn't get it done."

(Photo: Nick Turchiaro / USA TODAY)

GO DEEPER

Mirtle: Where do the Maple Leafs go from here?

Why couldn't the Leafs get over the hump this time?

Joshua Kloke, Leafs beat writer: This was a remarkably close series, and games 6 and 7 could have gone the Leafs' way but for a few bounces, a few missed chances and, unfortunately for them, probably a few missed calls too.

Outside of a disappointing performance throughout most of Game 4, you can't really quibble with the Leafs' play all series.

That they had a franchise-record 115 points this season, which was good enough for fourth-most in the NHL, but to still draw the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and eighth-best team in the regular season feels cruel and unfair to a Leafs team that knows those emotions all too well.

What changes are coming this offseason in Toronto?

Kloke: You could make a good argument that the Leafs should just run it back. The coaching staff improved their special teams and pushed the team to the aforementioned franchise record for regular season points.

The management group managed the salary cap effectively and added key pieces during the season. And every one of the Leafs' core on the ice took steps forward with some of them, including Matthews and Marner, having career years and establishing themselves as the league's elite players.

Where should the changes come, then? Are changes just for the sake of changes the answer, especially after such close results in games 6 and 7? Some in the fan base will undoubtedly think so, but this team certainly looked up to the task of changing the narrative about them.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario. They are members of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL)[1] and are known as one of the Original Six teams of the league.[2] Founded in 1917, the club had no nickname in their first season, and were known as the Toronto Arenas for their second season.[3] From the 1919–20 season they were known as the Toronto St. Patricks,[4] until in February 1927 when the club was purchased by Conn Smythe.[5] Smythe changed the name of the club to the Maple Leafs and they have been known by that name ever since.[5][6] Over their 104 seasons, the Leafs have won 3000 regular season games, lost over 2800 regular season games, accumulated six division championships, led the league in points six times, appeared in the playoffs 71 times, gained eight O'Brien Cup championships, and won 13 Stanley Cup titles.[7]

Table key[edit]

Year by year[edit]

1. ^ From the 1917–18 season to the 1920–21 season, the NHL played a split season schedule. The winners of both halves faced each other in a two-game, total-goals series for the NHL championship.[12]
2. ^ For the 1917–18 season, the club had no official nickname.[3]
3. ^ From the 1917–18 season to the 1925–26 season, the NHL had no divisions.[12]
4. ^ From the 1917–18 season to the 1926–27 season, the O'Brien Cup was awarded to the postseason champion of the NHL.[13]
5. ^ For the 1918–19 season, the club was known as the Arenas.[3]
6. ^ From the 1919–20 season until February 1927, the club was known as the St. Patricks.[16]
7. ^ Beginning in the 1921–22 NHL season, the NHL adopted a new rule stipulating that only a single overtime period would be played to break ties, with both teams receiving one point in games that remained tied.[18]
8. ^ From the 1926–27 season to the 1937–38 season, the Maple Leafs played in the Canadian Division.[5][6]
9. ^ In February 1927, Conn Smythe, changed the team name to the Maple Leafs. The team played for the rest of the season as the Maple Leafs and has used that name ever since.[5][6]
10. ^ From the 1927–28 season to the 1937–38 season, the O'Brien Cup was awarded to the champion of the Canadian Division.[13]
11. ^ From the 1938–39 season to the 1966–67 season, the NHL had no divisions.[12]
12. ^ From the 1938–39 season to the 1949–50 season, the O'Brien Cup was awarded to the NHL playoff runner-up, and was retired after the 1949–50 season.[13]
13. ^ Toronto won the series with Boston 4 games to 1, however 6 games were played with the second ending in a tie.[42][43] The game was called after one overtime period due to a Lord's Day curfew law.[44]
14. ^ Before the 1967–68 season, the NHL split into East and West Divisions because of the addition of six expansion teams.[12]
15. ^ The NHL realigned before the 1974–75 season. The Maple Leafs were placed in the Adams Division of the Prince of Wales Conference.[63]
16. ^ The NHL realigned before the 1981–82 season. The Maple Leafs were placed in the Norris Division of the Clarence Campbell Conference.[71]
17. ^ The NHL realigned into Eastern and Western conferences prior to the 1993–94 season. Toronto was placed in the Central Division of the Western Conference.[78]
18. ^ The season was shortened to 48 games because of the 1994–95 NHL lockout.[80]
19. ^ The NHL realigned before the 1998–99 season. The Maple Leafs were placed in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference.[16]
20. ^ Beginning with the 1999–2000 season, teams received one point for losing a regular-season game in overtime.[84]
21. ^ The season was cancelled because of the 2004–05 NHL lockout.[90]
22. ^ Beginning in the 2005–06 season, the NHL instituted a penalty shootout for regular-season games that remained tied after a five-minute overtime period, with losing teams receiving a point, which prevented ties.[91]
23. ^ The season was shortened to 48 games because of the 2012–13 NHL lockout.[92]
24. ^ The NHL realigned prior to the 2013–14 season. The Maple Leafs were placed in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.[94]
25. ^ The regular season was suspended on March 12, 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, the season resumed with the postseason in an expanded 24-team format on August 1, 2020.[95]
26. ^ The start of the regular season was delayed until January 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a shorted 56 game schedule.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

What year did the Leafs last win a playoff series?

When was the last time the Maple Leafs made it past Round 1?

Did Leafs make second round?

When was the last time the Leafs were in the conference finals?