TORONTO (AP) — John Tavares scored twice as part of a second-period outburst and added an empty netter for his 14th career hat trick as the Toronto Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 deficit to pick up a 5-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.

The Philadelphia Flyers secured their third straight win, 3-2, in a shootout over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night.

Returning from the break with a bang, the Florida Panthers raced out to an early lead and didn’t look back in a 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Amerant Bank Arena on Thursday. With the win, the Panthers improved to 30-25-3.

It took until the third period of game No. 66 for the Toronto Maple Leafs to show a pulse. It came at the expense of losing their captain due to injury, though. The Leafs won for the first time since February 3rd,

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews has a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will miss the rest of the NHL season.

NHL Game recap for the Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Toronto Toronto Maple Leafs game on March 7, 2026. Follow every play as it happens throughout the NHL season on CBS Sports and the CBS Sports app.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have dropped eight consecutive games, plummeting them toward lottery contention for a first-round pick that they don't even own unless they win the drawing.

If the goal of the Toronto Maple Leafs is to finish in the bottom five this season to retain their 2026 first-round pick from Boston, they’re on the right track.