TORONTO: Toronto fans filled the Air Canada Centre ready to celebrate their team clinching an NHL play-off spot for the first time in nearly a decade yesterday but the Maple Leafs’ 5-3 loss to the visiting Islanders left many poised to push the panic button.
The Leafs are clinging to fifth place in the Eastern Conference on 53 points but their grip on a play-off spot is starting to slip.
Four chasing teams - the Ottawa Senators (52 points), New York Islanders (51), New York Rangers (48) and Winnipeg Jets (48) - all made up ground with wins yesterday, setting up a nail-biting finish to the regular season.
“We have to stop the bleeding and get back to what has made us successful but our lack of success the last couple of games has nothing to do with us thinking we have a playoff spot,” Leafs defenceman Cody Franson told reporters.
“We don’t work that way, we work one day at a time.”
Toronto have not reached the play-offs since 2004 and own the longest playoff drought of teams in the NHL today, while the surging Islanders, who have not reached the play-offs since 2007, took a step towards ending their own barren spell, moving to within a point of the Leafs.
Toronto are a massive success off the ice but cannot seem to buy a play-off spot. REUTERS
