Leafs Tank Tracker: How Toronto Could Drop Three Spots in the NHL Standings Tonight

Welcome to today’s edition of the Tank Tracker. As we look at the NHL schedule for tonight, March 2, 2026, the Toronto Maple Leafs are staring down a massive opportunity to gain serious ground in the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery race.

Currently stalled at 63 points, we are clustered tightly in the bottom third of the league. But if the Hockey Gods smile on us tonight, Toronto could drop as many as three spots in the overall NHL standings by tomorrow morning. With teams like Nashville and Los Angeles breathing down our necks at 62 points, a perfect storm of a Leafs regulation loss combined with upsets out West could significantly boost our lottery odds and secure a much more favorable basement seed.

The Leafs had a solid day yesterday from the tank perspective, with the Chicago Blackhwaks, Winnipeg Jets, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames all gaining ground on the Leafs. 

The Tank Report: Sunday's Recap

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Result: Penguins win 5-0 (Regulation)

Tank Impact: Perfect. Pittsburgh secured the two points, keeping the 70-point tier moving upward and safely away from Toronto's 63-point mark.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Utah MammothResult: Blackhawks win 4-0 (Regulation)Tank Impact: Good, but not ideal. Chicago grabs two huge points to close the gap on the Leafs, but a regulation finish means we missed out on a three-point game since Utah gets nothing.

Winnipeg Jets vs. San Jose Sharks

Result: Sharks win 2-1 (Overtime)

Tank Impact: Excellent. Even though the Jets didn't get the win, the game went to overtime. Handing out three total points helps narrow the gap from both sides.

St. Louis Blues vs. Minnesota Wild

Result: Blues win 3-1

Tank Impact: Perfect. St. Louis picked up the win, meaning another bottom-feeder is climbing the ranks and eating away at Toronto's 63-point cushion.

Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders

Result: Islanders win 5-4 (Regulation)

Tank Impact: Brutal. Anders Lee scored in the final 32 seconds of regulation for the Islanders, denying Florida any points. The Panthers remain deadlocked with the Leafs at 63 points in the Atlantic Division.

Calgary Flames vs. Anaheim Ducks

Result: Ducks win 3-2 (Shootout)

Tank Impact: Silver lining. A Calgary regulation win was the dream, but by pushing the game to a shootout, the Flames still managed to secure a highly valuable "loser point" to tighten up the bottom of the league.

Source: NHL League Page @ Elite Prospects

Tonight's Action

Now let’s take a look at tonight's ideal results, and the Leafs pathway to increasing their Draft Lottery odds by 3%. 

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Ideal Result: Flyers win in regulation

Tank Impact: The biggest game of the night for obvious reasons. A regulation loss keeps the Leafs firmly parked at 63 points. Philadelphia (65P) currently sits just barely ahead of Toronto; handing them two direct points creates a much-needed buffer and ensures they don't slide back into our territory.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Nashville Predators

Ideal Result: Predators win 

Tank Impact: The Predators (62P) are sitting just one point behind the Leafs. A Nashville win in any fashion, leapfrogs them over Toronto in the overall league standings, effectively dropping our lottery seed. Detroit is already comfortably ahead, so we need the Preds to take both points here to push Toronto further down.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Los Angeles Kings

Ideal Result: Kings win 

Tank Impact: Much like the Nashville game, the Kings (62P) are breathing right down our necks. A win tonight pushes LA to 64 points, safely moving them ahead of the Leafs. We need the Kings to steal this one from the Avalanche to drop Toronto another spot in the overall NHL standings.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Seattle Kraken

Ideal Result: Kraken win 

Tank Impact: Seattle (65P) is hovering dangerously close to Toronto's 63-point mark. We need them to secure a win against Carolina to pull further away. Any points picked up by teams in the mid-60s range ensures the Leafs don't accidentally climb the standings on a default tiebreaker.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New York Rangers

Ideal Result: Rangers win in overtime. 

Tank Impact: This is a perfect multipoint scenario for the tank. The Rangers (53P) are trailing Toronto by 10 points and desperately need to start closing that gap. If New York secures the win in OT, the Blue Jackets (66P) still grab a "loser point" to continue raising the floor above us.

Dallas Stars vs. Vancouver Canucks

Ideal Result: Canucks win in any fashion. 

Tank Impact: Vancouver (43P) is heavily entrenched at the bottom of the league and realistically won't catch Toronto, but we need every bottom-feeder to pick up points to compress the basement. A massive upset over the powerhouse Stars is exactly what the tank needs.

Check back tomorrow for the latest update.