Below are the standings as of last night as well as each team's points per game pace projected out over 82 games. The Carolina Hurricanes are headed towards the final playoff spot with 87 points. The Leafs are on pace for merely 81. Seems like it's time to throw in the towel no?
| Team | GP | Pts | Pts/Game | Pace |
| Philadelphia | 60 | 84 | 1.40 | 115 |
| Tampa Bay | 59 | 75 | 1.27 | 104 |
| Boston | 60 | 75 | 1.25 | 103 |
| Pittsburgh | 61 | 77 | 1.26 | 104 |
| Washington | 61 | 74 | 1.21 | 99 |
| Montreal | 61 | 71 | 1.16 | 95 |
| NY Rangers | 62 | 68 | 1.10 | 90 |
| Carolina | 61 | 65 | 1.07 | 87 |
| Buffalo | 58 | 60 | 1.03 | 85 |
| Atlanta | 60 | 60 | 1.00 | 82 |
| Toronto | 60 | 59 | 0.98 | 81 |
| Florida | 59 | 57 | 0.97 | 79 |
| New Jersey | 60 | 56 | 0.93 | 77 |
| NY Islanders | 61 | 53 | 0.87 | 71 |
| Ottawa | 59 | 47 | 0.80 | 65 |
Well, via @HockeyAnalysis, if the Leafs play their final 22 games with the same record as their last 22 (12-7-3) they will finish with 86 points. I'm not getting my hopes up unless the Leafs are in with a shout once the season gets down to the final four or five games. On top of that, the Leafs have three games before the trade deadline that could impact the moves that Burke makes. Not that he'd make a short-term move to make the playoffs since he's been pretty adamant against doing it but that he might makes move he might have otherwise waited for the offseason to complete.
Thursday - They play the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal where they haven't scored a goal this year.
Saturday - They play the Pittsburgh Penguins at home.
Sunday - They play a rare afternoon game against the Atlanta Nordiques. This is a back-to-back which means that James Reimer might not play thereby dooming the team.