Leafs Tank Tracker: The “Loser Point” Sting and Tonight’s Action

Welcome back to the Tank Tracker. Last night was a mixed bag for our 2026 draft lottery odds. The good news? We had several teams ahead of us secure massive wins to lift themselves away from the Leafs in the standings.

The bad news? The Leafs picked up the dreaded "loser point" in a shootout against New Jersey. That extra point bumps Toronto up to 65 points, and keeps the victorious Devils ahead of us. Here is the real recap of yesterday's action: 

Yesterday’s Recap

Toronto Maple Leafs @ New Jersey Devils

• Result: Devils win 4-3 (Shootout)

• Tank Impact: Frustrating. The Leafs grabbed a "loser point" in the shootout to push their total to 65 points. The silver lining is the Devils took the two points to hit 64, moving right up against our bumper, but that extra point for Toronto was unnecessary damage.

Vegas Golden Knights @ Detroit Red Wings

• Result: Golden Knights win 4-3 (Overtime)

• Tank Impact: Perfect. Vegas secured the two points to bump their total up to 72 points, officially pushing them safely into the upper-middle pack.

New York Islanders @ Anaheim Ducks

• Result: Ducks win 5-1

• Tank Impact: Great. Anaheim grabbed the two points to hit 71, moving them 6 points up on the Leafs. 

St. Louis Blues @ Seattle Kraken

• Result: Blues win 3-2

• Tank Impact: Missed Opportunity. In a perfect world the Kraken would have taken this game to overtime, but the Blues moving within 10 points of the Leafs is a positive despite the Leafs’ loser point. 

Tonight’s Tank Tracker

With Toronto sitting at 65 points, here is your official Tank guide for tonight, strictly focusing on the matchups that feature teams with a direct impact on the Leafs lottery odds. 

Toronto Maple Leafs (65P) @ New York Rangers (54P) 

• Ideal Result: Rangers win in regulation.

• Tank Impact: A massive game for the tank. The Rangers are way below us in the basement. A regulation loss ensures the Leafs stay firmly anchored at 65 points while feeding two points to a team far behind us.

Utah Mammoth (68P) @ Philadelphia Flyers (67P) 

• Ideal Result: Three-point game (OT/SO).

• Tank Impact: This is the perfect tank matchup. Both Utah and Philly are hovering right above the Leafs. Handing out three total points pushes both of these teams further away and raises the ceiling above us.

Florida Panthers (63P) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (70P) 

• Ideal Result: Panthers win in overtime

• Tank Impact: Florida (63P) is sitting just two points behind Toronto. A win tonight ties them with us at 65. Columbus is already at 70, so we need the Panthers to pull off the upset and close the gap from below.

Boston Bruins (73P) @ Nashville Predators (62P) 

• Ideal Result: Predators win in regulation.

• Tank Impact: Nashville is lurking right below the Leafs at 62 points. If they pull off the upset over the Bruins, they jump to 64 points and put extreme pressure on Toronto's basement position.

Ottawa Senators (67P) @ Calgary Flames (55P) 

• Ideal Result: Senators win in overtime.

• Tank Impact: Ottawa (67P) is only two points ahead of the Leafs. We need them to beat the Flames to build that buffer to four points and stay safely out of our tie-breaker.

New York Islanders (75P) @ Los Angeles Kings (62P) 

• Ideal Result: Kings win in regulation.

• Tank Impact: Just like Nashville, the Kings are sitting at 62 points. An upset win over the Islanders pushes LA right onto our heels at 64 points.

Check back tomorrow for our updated results.