The Toronto Maple Leafs picked up a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday to return to the win column.
Toronto was coming off a 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday and were 1-2 in their last three games heading into this game.
Although the Maple Leafs have struggled recently, they are practically locked into a playoff spot.
Are the Toronto Maple Leafs in a playoff spot?
The Toronto Maple Leafs are third in the Atlantic Division and will likely finish there.
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Toronto has 82 points, nine behind Boston for second place and 10 behind Florida for the first spot. So the Maple Leafs will play whoever finishes second out of those teams in the first round. Toronto is also 12 points up on a playoff spot, so the Maple Leafs are nearly locked in.
According to MoneyPuck, they are giving Toronto a 99.7% chance of making the playoffs after Saturday's win over the Canadiens.
With the Maple Leafs set to play either Boston or Florida in the first round, Toronto went out and added to their D-Core at the deadline.
The Maple Leafs acquired Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson while adding depth in center with Connor Dewar. Although the deals were minor, Toronto's general manager Brad Treliving said he fully believes in the group.
"The message I gave to our team leading up to the deadline: I do believe in this group. Our plan is not to subtract if possible. We would like to add to the group. You go from there," Treliving said (via Maple Leafs Hot Stove).
However, Toronto lost 4-1 twice to Boston, so Treliving knows the Maple Leafs need to make some small changes to have success in the playoffs.
"We have to make sure we are emotionally and physically invested in the game," Treliving said. "It is an area we have tried to push with our group since we have gotten here. We have been talking a lot about the game within the game and the emotional and physical investment that is required at the most important of the year.
"In these next 19 games, we have to qualify for the playoffs and earn ourselves a position to be a playoff team. We have to use these 19 games to get our game in a position where it can have success in the playoffs."
Toronto will return to the ice on the road on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
