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Having put itself in such playoff hole, Toronto has to make the most of recovery and practice time to battle back in contention.
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Published Feb 18, 2026 • 2 minute read
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Toronto Maple Leafs’ Max Domi (left) is congratulated by teammate Scott Laughton after scoring the overtime game-winning goal against the Jets during NHL action in Winnipeg on Saturday, January 17, 2026. Article content
In this Lunar New Year of the Horse, the Maple Leafs intend to be the dark runner in the NHL playoff field.
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That will require moving up an average of at least two points on the entire Eastern Conference wild-card grid in what’s left of February, all of March and mid-April for a team not used to regular-season adversity.
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But no better time to find out what they’re made of and three straight wins before the Olympic break gave them some life as practice resumed this week.
They’ll have 25 games remaining when teammates Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Oliver Ekman-Larsson return from Milan.
WHAT’S THE VIBE IN THE ROOM
“We have a rough idea of how many wins it looks like it’ll take to get in, but we can’t be looking at the big picture,” winger Steven Lorentz said. “This reset has been great. It’s tough when you have to get all the way up for a game, try and recover and get right back to work.
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“It seems the whole month of January (playing an average of almost every second night) we were up and down, up and down.”
Lorentz and fourth-line pal Scott Laughton don’t get the 5-on-5 ice time of the stars, but needed the time off just as much in their unique roles.
“You have to be on top of your game every single night when you’re out there trying to check and buzz around,” Lorentz said. “So that rest is really important.”
Dakota Joshua, coming back from a lacerated kidney, was playing with Lorentz and Laughton a second day, an important option if he’s available when games resume late next week.
“We have to keep our focus narrow and understand what we’ve got coming up,” defenceman Morgan Rielly said. “This is an important couple of days to get our feet and our minds going again.
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“We’re prepared to hit the ground running. It’s a great opportunity for our group to rise to the challenge.”
MORE PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
It was a spirited second day at the Ford Centre, concentrating on rushes, coverage and the unpopular bag skate at the conclusion. Head coach Craig Berube had near zero prep time last month to fix problem areas with the glut of games.
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“I’ve been very happy with the last two days,” Berube said. “Defensive stuff is what we have to work on going forward here. Coming out of the break we have to tighten it up.”
A league-worst 142 goals against at 5-on-5 can’t be improved upon fast enough for the staff.
Berube can’t change systems this late in the season, especially with key personnel now away, but says pre-break refinements were implemented.
“There’s nothing new right now, just try and dial in everything in all three zones the best we can,” he said. “The season is a grind with the tough schedule, the Olympics, back-to-backs and travel. It’s good to get a couple of weeks where they can rejuvenate themselves.”
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