The Toronto Maple Leafs have qualified for the NHL playoffs again. But for fans and Leafs backers at Ontario sportsbooks well-acquainted with the franchise’s recent playoff accomplishments – or lack thereof – that’s only part of the battle.
This will be the eighth consecutive season that Toronto made the playoffs, tied for the Boston Bruins for the longest streak in the NHL. That’s the good news. The bad? The Leafs have won one series during that span – last year over Tampa Bay.
2023-24 Maple Leafs Performance
Will 2024 be their year? Using Sports-Reference.com, OntarioBets – your source for Ontario sports betting apps reviews – looked into the past 10 Stanley Cup champions from full 82-game seasons. We compared their average win-loss percentage and points during the season.
If the Leafs do well during the final regular-season games, they could boost their average to be closer to the average Stanley Cup winner’s record.
Average Stanley Cup Champion’s Performance
The chart above as well as the one below, which lists the past 10 Cup champions, excludes years when the regular season had fewer than 82 games (the 2012-13, 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons).
Past Decade of Stanley Cup Winner’s Records
Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
See our Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup odds page for the latest as the playoffs draw near.
Last week, the Leafs still had a shot at catching the Florida Panthers for second place in the Atlantic Division. But Toronto’s losses to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday and to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night ended that hope. The ways things sit entering Monday’s games, the Leafs and Panthers would play in the first round of the playoffs and the Panthers would have home-ice advantage.
The Leafs’ last two games of the regular season, both on the road, are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Panthers, then 7 p.m. Wednesday in Tampa against the Lightning.
Auston Matthews’ quest for 70 goals (he’s at 69) has dominated the Leafs’ narrative the past week (see our Hart Trophy odds page) and head coach Sheldon Keefe is under pressure to play him rather than rest him for the playoffs.
That’s a factor in terms of Leafs’ moneyline odds for those two games, and where they end up in winning percentage. Those two Florida teams, with nothing on the line now, will likely be resting key players as well.
The Leafs also have some injury issues heading into this week. Forward Bobby McMann is dealing with a lower-body injury, defenceman Jake McCabe took a puck to the face Saturday night, and forward Calle Jarnkrok is still out with a hand injury.
At NorthStar Bets Ontario Sportsbook, as of Monday morning the Leafs have +1600 odds to win the Stanley Cup. The Carolina Hurricanes are the favorites at +650 odds, followed by the Panthers and Colorado Avalanche (each +750).
USA Today photo by Nick Turchiaro
