Leafs Tank Tracker: The Losing Streak Continues

Welcome back to the Tank Tracker. If you are going to tank, you have to commit to it, and the boys in blue are putting on an absolute masterclass. Riding a glorious 8-game losing streak, the Maple Leafs remain anchored at 65 points.

Yesterday's busy NHL slate gave us a ton of movement within our Lottery Odds window. We saw a few teams leapfrog us in the standings, while others crept up from the absolute basement to make things even more interesting. After last night the Leafs now sit 26th overall, only 6 points out of 30th overall, which remains the sweet spot to ensure the Maple Leafs retain their first round pick this season. 

Here is your recap of yesterday's action: 

Source: NHL League Page @ Elite Prospects

Yesterday’s Recap: The Tank Rolls On

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Montreal Canadiens

• Result: Montreal Canadiens win 3-1

• Tank Impact: Flawless. The boys in blue understood the assignment. Taking a regulation loss ensures we secure zero points and stay parked exactly at 65 points. The tank rolls on.

Detroit Red Wings @ Florida Panthers

• Result: Florida Panthers win 4-3

• Tank Impact: Perfect. This is exactly what we needed. The Florida Panthers secured the win and grabbed two massive points to jump up to 67 points on the season. That officially breaks the tie and pushes them ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division.

Calgary Flames @ New York Rangers

• Result: New York Rangers win 4-0

• Tank Impact: Excellent. The New York Rangers handled their business, taking the two points to push their season total to 60 points. They are officially climbing the basement stairs and closing the gap on Toronto from below. 

Nashville Predators @ Seattle Kraken

• Result: Nashville Predators win 4-2

• Tank Impact: Much needed. A regulation win for the Nashville Predators pushes them to 66 points, successfully leapfrogging the Maple Leafs in the overall standings. The Seattle Kraken dropped the game but remain safely ahead of us at 67 points.

Los Angeles Kings @ Boston Bruins

• Result: Boston Bruins win 2-1 (Overtime)

• Tank Impact: Silver Lining. A win would have been ideal, but pushing this game to overtime secured the Los Angeles Kings a highly valuable loser point. They now sit at 67 points, keeping a comfortable two-point buffer ahead of Toronto.

New York Islanders @ St. Louis Blues

• Result: New York Islanders win 4-3 (Overtime)

• Tank Impact: Helpful. Much like the Los Angeles Kings, the St. Louis Blues managed to force overtime and grab a loser point. That pushes the St. Louis Blues to 60 points, bringing another bottom-feeder right into our danger zone.

San Jose Sharks @ Buffalo Sabres

• Result: Buffalo Sabres win 6-3

• Tank Impact: Missed Opportunity. The San Jose Sharks are sitting right above us at 66 points. A win here would have built a much better cushion, but they dropped it in regulation and stay uncomfortably close to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Anaheim Ducks @ Winnipeg Jets

• Result: Anaheim Ducks win 4-1

• Tank Impact: Brutal. The Winnipeg Jets are sitting at 62 points and completely missed their chance to close the gap on Toronto. We need them picking up points to compress the basement, but they stalled out.

Games With No Direct Tank Impact

These matchups did not feature teams sitting within 6 points of the Toronto Maple Leafs (59-71 points), so they had no bearing on our draft odds:

• Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

• Utah Mammoth vs. Minnesota Wild

• Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Carolina Hurricanes

• Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars

• Edmonton Oilers vs. Colorado Avalanche

Tonight’s NHL schedule only features two games, zero with any direct impact to the Maple Leafs, so a night off from scoreboard watching is much needed for Leafs fans.