Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens game preview: Toronto's losing streak meets Montreal's playoff push
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens clash with Montreal dealing with playoff implications, and the Leafs are trying to stop a seven-game losing streak.
Last updated: March 10, 2026 at 1:27 PM ET - Lineups and starters confirmed
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have a different look on Tuesday night as Bo Groulx will make his debut with the team, meanwhile there's a youth movement on the third line with Nick Robertson, Jacob Quillan, and Easton Cowan:
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Maccelli-Tavares-Nylander
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Joshua-Groulx-Lorentz
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Cowan-Quillan-Robertson
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Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens will counter with a lineup that is looking to make Toronto's life miserable on Tuesday night:
Toronto is trying to do their best to get as close to a bottom-five finish as possible meanwhile the Canadiens are involved in a tight Atlantic Division where only nine points separate first from sixth.
Toronto's losing streak collides with Montreal's playoff push
Unfortunately for Maple Leafs fans, they aren't one of the six teams fighting for a playoff spot as they are 0-5-2 since returning from the Olympics and went from potential postseason dark horse to a retooling team come the deadline.
While Toronto would like to lose as much as possible in order to get a more favourable chance at a top-five pick in this year's draft, there's still a lot of pride on the line with Craig Berube not treating things as a lost season; aiming to still be competitive.
Montreal on the other hand has gone 3-1-3 over their past seven games, and while those three OT losses are a little bit of a blemish, it's kept them in the playoff race still and they'll look to take advantage of Toronto side that hasn't won since the Olympic return.
Key matchups and players to watch
On the Toronto end, you're looking a lot at Auston Matthews to start picking things up again. He hasn't scored since January 27th, and only has four points since returning from the Olympics.
If Toronto is looking to end their skid, they need the captain to pick things up and with a career 47 points in 39 games, there's no better team for him to face in order to start getting back on track.
You're also going to see Bo Groulx come into the lineup after the Maple Leafs recalled him from the Toronto Marlies. For good reason too, as Groulx has 27 goals and 50 points while anchoring both the power-play and penalty kill in the AHL.
Montreal is going to have the red-hot Juraj Slafkovsky helping to carry them on Tuesday along with the usual suspects such as Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, and Nick Suzuki.
Slafkovsky has 11 points over his last nine games, and is coming off a two-goal, three-point effort vs. Los Angeles.
One player for Toronto to worry about with the Habs is Josh Anderson, as he has a blistering 16 goals in 40 games in his career vs. the Maple Leafs and they'll need to be aware of where he is at all times.
The goalies and lineups are not confirmed yet, though there is a chance that Joseph Woll gets the start after Anthony Stolarz looked pretty rough against Tampa Bay, meanwhile Montreal could counter with Jakub Dobes if they really want to shut the door.
What a win or a loss means for the Maple Leafs
No one likes losing and the Maple Leafs roster still wants to remain competitive and put on a show for their fans. They can't just keel over, and need to still push their rookies and see what options they have going forward.
But again, every win gets them further and further from the bottom of the standings, and their top-five protection gets a lot less protected. While there's no guarantee Toronto will get the pick even if they finish in the bottom, it helps the odds considerably.
As painful as a loss is, it's good for business as it would help narrow down the game plan and perhaps accelerate things this summer at the draft with either a premium pick or a massive deal involving the asset to bring in a superstar.
Speaking of, another loss would bring the team closer to tying the Peter Horachek-era losing streak of 11 games, and one more loss leaves them only a hat-trick of losses away from the record.
That type of ineptitude harkens back to an era fans would love to forget, and if any team can motivate Toronto to get back into the win column, history shows it's Montreal.
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Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 10|823 ANSWERS Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens game preview: Toronto's losing streak meets Montreal's playoff push Will the Maple Leafs end their seven-game losing skid against Montreal? | ||
| Yes | 96 | 11.7 % |
| No | 727 | 88.3 % |
| List of polls | ||