The Vegas Golden Knights Have Officially Done the Maple Leafs a Huge Favour

After suffering a 2-1 loss thanks in part to a missed coaches challenge opportunity on a controversial goal by Ottawa's Shane Pinto, the Leafs found themselves just 1 point up on the Florida Panthers for the Atlantic Division lead.

The kicker here is that the Leafs are out of action until Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild, while the Panthers played the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.

Heading into Sunday's slate of games, the Maple Leafs were at risk of being leapfrogged in the standings by the Panthers, who were last year's Atlantic Division champions before going on to win the Stanley Cup.

Thanks to the Golden Knights, however, the Leafs have not only maintained the the top spot, remaining 1 point up on the Panthers, but they also now have a game in hand over Florida, who have played 51 games to the Leafs' 50.

The Panthers, like the Leafs, will now be off until Wednesday, when the Leafs welcome the Wild to the confines of Scotiabank Arena and the Panthers play host to the Los Angeles Kings.

Both the Kings and Panthers have played their way to a 5-4-1 record in their last 10 outings, while the Leafs have gone 5-5-0, and the Wild have gone 4-6-0 in their last 10.