The Toronto Maple Leafs have, once again, been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It marks the 58th consecutive year that the Maple Leafs have failed to win the Cup, and the 22nd straight season in which the team failed to reach the conference finals.
Toronto's postseason struggles are nothing new, and have been more than well-documented. Fans who thought this year may be different were sorely mistaken, as the team crashed out in the second round in a seven-game series against the Florida Panthers.
For just the second time since the NHL lockout in 2004-05, the Maple Leafs did manage to win a playoff series, taking down the Ottawa Senators in six games in the opening round. Still, what the team delivered fell well short of expectations.
One glaring stat, brought forth by Mike Bundt of Trainwreck Sports, perfectly sums up just how abysmal the Maple Leafs have been when it comes to performing in the postseason. Since that lockout season in 2005, Toronto has won just two playoff series, one in 2023 and one this year. In that same span, the Buffalo Sabres have four postseason series victories, despite not having been to the playoffs in 14 years.
The last time the Sabres were in the playoffs was back in 2011, when they were bounced in the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers. Buffalo made back-to-back conference finals appearances in 2006 and '07. In those two seasons alone, they experienced more playoff success than the Maple Leafs have in the last two decades. Considering the Maple Leafs have made 10 separate trips to the postseason since the last time the Sabres played playoff hockey, that statistic is truly hard to believe.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as One Brutal Stat Perfectly Sums Up Maple Leafs’ Playoff Woes.