Maple Leafs Match Worst 20-Game Stretch in Franchise History

With Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers, the Toronto Maple Leafs fell to 2-16-2 over their last 20 contests, matching the worst 20-game stretch in franchise history, per Sportsnet Stats.

The team previously suffered through multiple 2-16-2 stretches during the 1984-85 campaign, which Toronto finished with a franchise-worst (min. 20-game season) 20-52-8 record.

While this Leafs team already has 23 wins on the season, things have gotten remarkably ugly over the past two months.

Since winning six straight games between Dec. 6 and 16 to improve to 19-9-3, Toronto has managed a hideous 4-21-2 record over the past 27 games.

A potential Cup contender in mid-December, the Maple Leafs essentially played themselves out of the playoff hunt in just three to four weeks, and things have only gotten worse since that time.

Now sporting the third-fewest points (51) in the Eastern Conference, Toronto looks like a real threat to finish behind every team in the NHL besides the hapless Edmonton Oilers (42 points) and Buffalo Sabres (36 points).

Though typically disappointing over the last decade, the Maple Leafs have managed a points percentage above .450 in every season since 1997-98. That streak will likely come to an end in April, as there's little indication that the team will improve its current points percentage of .440.