Maple Leafs Showcasing a Tremendously Concerning Trend As Playoffs Approach

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a tight race for the top spot of the Atlantic Division as they've been jockeying for position with the Florida Panthers all season long.

After last night's disappointing 3-2 loss to the Panthers, the Maple Leafs are 4 points back from first place with a game in hand. If that wasn't concerning enough, the surging Tampa Bay Lightning are right on their tails as they sit just 2 points back from Toronto for 2nd in the division.

As important as divisional placement is heading into the playoffs, there is another concerning trend regarding this year's Maple Leafs team against the best of the rest in the Eastern Conference that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

Last night's loss dropped the Maple Leafs' record to 8-9-0 against the Eastern Conference teams that are currently in a playoff position, to go along with an abysmal minus-10 goal differential, according to Sportsnet Stats.

Toronto is 0-2-0 against Florida, 1-2-0 against Washington, 1-1-0 against Carolina, 0-2-0 against Ottawa, and 0-2-0 against Columbus. Conversely, the Maple Leafs are 3-0-0 against both Tampa Bay and New Jersey, but their last game against Tampa Bay was almost 2 months ago -- long before their recent surge.

If you dig a little deeper, they've been outscored 11-3 against Columbus, 8-3 against Florida, 5-1 against Ottawa, and 11-7 against Washington. You can make an argument about Florida, but being outscored 16-4 against Ottawa and Columbus in 4 games is almost inexcusable.

At the very least, the Leafs will have their chances at redeeming themselves ahead of the postseason with 2 games remaining against Florida and 1 game against each of Ottawa, Tampa Bay, and Columbus.

Tomorrow's matchup against the surging Senators is going to be very important, because a win from Ottawa would have them 2 points back of Tampa Bay and only 4 points back of Toronto with the same amount of games played.

A 4-point swing will do a lot of damage in the standings and the Maple Leafs will want to be on the winning side of that equation - and also improve their record against playoff teams in the East.