The Toronto Maple Leafs are officially in freefall. A fifth straight loss, this one a 7-4 drubbing at the hands of a division rival in the Buffalo Sabres, has the playoff picture looking more like a pipe dream than a realistic goal. And with both the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins picking up wins, the pressure in Toronto is reaching a boiling point.
This wasn’t just another loss-it was a gut punch. Heading into the game, players and head coach Craig Berube emphasized how critical this matchup was.
The response? A flat performance that saw the Leafs outshot two-to-one and outworked in just about every zone.
The only reason the scoreboard didn’t look worse early was because Toronto capitalized on Sabres starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen before he exited with an injury. Once Colten Ellis came in, the Leafs barely made a dent.
That’s not the kind of pushback you want to see from a team fighting for its postseason life.
Toronto did get goals from Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, Bobby McMann, and Max Domi, but even four goals weren’t enough to keep pace with Buffalo’s offensive explosion. The night belonged to Rasmus Dahlin, who put on a clinic with a hat trick and five points from the blue line. That’s not a typo-a defenseman ran the show.
Joseph Woll, back between the pipes, had a rough night, allowing six goals on 30 shots. To be fair, the first two goals deflected in off Leafs skaters-tough breaks that no goalie wants to wear.
But when a team is spiraling like this, sympathy is in short supply. The reality is the Leafs’ defensive structure has been porous throughout this homestand, and the goaltending hasn’t been able to mask the breakdowns.
This stretch has been brutal, and the timing couldn’t be worse. While other Atlantic Division teams are heating up, Toronto is losing ground fast.
They’ve now got four games on the road before the Olympic break-a stretch that could define their season. Even if they run the table, the big-picture questions aren’t going away.
What’s the plan if this group can’t turn it around? Is a shake-up coming? These are the conversations that start when belief starts to fade, and right now, belief is hanging by a thread.
The Maple Leafs don’t just need wins-they need a reset. Because if this slide continues, the postseason might be out of reach before the snow melts.