The Maple Leafs appeared to put their playoff demons behind them by surviving a comeback attempt from the Senators in the first round of the 2025 playoffs and jumping out to a 2-0 series lead over the Panthers in the following round, but history repeated itself once again.
While Toronto’s playoff problems over the last two decades have largely come in the first round, a trip to the Eastern Conference Final remains elusive — and the Leafs can’t say they didn’t have their chances against Florida.
2025 is the latest forgettable run for Maple Leafs fans, but it’s only one of many for one of the NHL’s most prominent franchises.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Here’s a look at how playoff collapses have extended the Maple Leafs’ conference final drought.
Maple Leafs playoff collapses
2013
One would think a series the Maple Leafs never led can’t be considered a collapse, but the way Toronto lost its first round series to the Bruins went down in the history of both franchises.
The Leafs held a 4-1 lead in the third period of Game 7, taking complete control on the road after goals from Phil Kessel and Nazem Kadri early in the period. After Nathan Horton cut the Bruins’ deficit to two, Milan Lucic and Patrice Bergeron scored 31 seconds apart in the final 90 seconds of regulation to force an improbable overtime.
Bergeron scored again more than six minutes into the extra period to put the final nail in the coffin on an all-time collapse by the Maple Leafs. Boston went on to reach the Stanley Cup Final, falling to the Blackhawks.
2018
The Maple Leafs once again forced a Game 7 after finding themselves down 3-1 in a first round series against the Bruins in 2018, and they led that win-or-go-home game 4-3 entering the third period.
It all fell apart for Toronto at that point, with Boston scoring four goals in the final period and sending the Leafs home disappointed again. Frederik Andersen allowed six goals in the loss.
2019
It can’t happen again, right? That’s what the Maple Leafs were asking themselves after seeing 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 series leads disappear in another first round matchup with the Bruins in 2019.
Faced with another Game 7 at TD Garden, the Maple Leafs were hoping their fortunes would finally change. This time, however, the defeat wasn’t quite as heartbreaking. The Bruins won a 5-1 rout in Game 7, handing Toronto another first-round exit.
2020
The Maple Leafs never led their qualifying round series against the Blue Jackets in the 2020 bubble, but they were about to jump out in front two games to one in the best-of-five until they allowed four unanswered goals.
Toronto led 3-0 halfway through Game 3, only for Pierre-Luc Dubois and Seth Jones to combine for three goals to stunningly force overtime. Dubois completed the hat trick deep into overtime to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 series lead, and Columbus would ultimately win the series in five games.
2021
The path seemed to be as clear as ever for the Maple Leafs to break their first round curse in 2021, and a 3-1 series lead over a Canadiens team that barely snuck into the playoffs appeared to be safe, even after Toronto’s previous playoff failures. It wasn’t.
Montreal won Games 5 and 6 in overtime and never let the Maple Leafs lead in Game 7, dealing Toronto yet another first round loss. The Canadiens would surprise their way to the Stanley Cup Final before falling to the Lightning.
2024
Game 7 in Boston. What could go wrong? William Nylander broke a scoreless stalemate nine minutes into the third period to put the Maple Leafs 11 minutes away from escaping TD Garden with a series win, but Hampus Lindholm quickly answered with an equalizer and David Pastrnak won it for the Bruins less than two minutes into overtime.
While the Maple Leafs had already broken their first round curse by this point, the defeat brought Toronto fans right back to the playoff disappointment of the 2010s against the Bruins.
2025
The Maple Leafs avoided a historic collapse against the Senators in the first round after seeing a 3-0 series lead turn into a 3-2 lead, but a 2-0 series lead over the Panthers in the second round didn’t hold up.
Toronto lost three consecutive games against the defending Stanley Cup champions, including a Game 5 drubbing at home, and the Leafs let up six goals in Game 7 at home to keep their conference final drought alive at 23 years and counting.
MORE: Inside Maple Leafs’ Game 7 history
When was the last time the Maple Leafs made the conference finals?
The Maple Leafs last reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2002, when they won back-to-back seven game series before falling to the Hurricanes in six games. Toronto won Game 1 of the series, pulling within three wins of a long-awaited return to the Stanley Cup Final, but Carolina won the next three and would close out the series despite a Game 5 win for the Leafs.
The Maple Leafs missed the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons from 2005-12, but even perennial playoff appearances have not yielded a return to the conference final.
When was the last time the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup?
The Maple Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup — or even been to the Stanley Cup Final — since 1967, when the league was made up of only six teams.
26 expansion (or merger) teams later, Toronto still hasn’t been back to hockey’s biggest stage despite commanding so much attention. The Maple Leafs reached the conference final three times in the 1990s but came up short each time, and the 2002 loss to the Hurricanes is still as close as the franchise has come to the Stanley Cup Final in the 21st century.
