The NHL locked out its players twice since the Leafs last made the postseason.
FORBES: The NHL Scores With Maple Leafs Ending Playoff Drought
Now the Leafs head into an important road game in Ottawa against the sixth-place Senators.
The Leafs, who looked sluggish and outmatched in Game 3, seemed to turn things around Wednesday night.
WSJ: Bruins' Krejci Shines in Playoffs Win Against Maple Leafs
Still, it didn't take long for the Leafs to give the hometown crowd something to cheer about.
WSJ: Bruins' Krejci Shines in Playoffs Win Against Maple Leafs
But the Leafs were clearly outmuscled by the stronger Bruins team, who outshot Toronto 47 to 38.
The Senators outshot the Leafs 17-5 in the first, but many of those came from the outside.
By contrast, it's a lack of star power that has made the Leafs' recent success that much more surprising.
As recently as late January, the Leafs appeared to be well on their way to ending that playoff drought.
Franson gave the Leafs a 2-0 lead with 1:28 remaining in the first with a bullet from the blue line.
WSJ: Bruins' Krejci Shines in Playoffs Win Against Maple Leafs
It was a must-win game for the Leafs, who were down 3-2 in the series after winning Game 5 in Boston.
Bars and restaurants in Toronto are set to see a bump in revenue from the Leafs playoff appearance as well.
FORBES: The NHL Scores With Maple Leafs Ending Playoff Drought
The Leafs now look to put Monday's loss behind them and focus on squaring up the series at home on Wednesday.
The latest odds have the Leafs chances at 30-1 to win the Stanley Cup and 15-1 to win the Eastern Conference.
FORBES: The NHL Scores With Maple Leafs Ending Playoff Drought
After a scoreless first period, the Leafs led 2-1 heading into the third thanks to a pair of goals by van Riemsdyk.
Lupul said after going ahead, the Leafs became their own worst enemy.
Van Riemsdyk put Toronto ahead 2-1 at 18:04, converting a nifty 2-on-1 break with Phil Kessel as the Leafs outshot Buffalo 15-6.
"I'm still wary of the Leafs' playoff chances, " said Steve Glinert, a longtime Toronto sports fan who works in the city's financial district.
Starting with Saturday's game in Montreal, Carlyle will be tasked with getting the Leafs into the postseason for the first time since 2004.
Early evidence shows that the Leafs and Volts of the world can be trickle charged overnight with relatively low demand on the grid.
It seems everybody wins with the Leafs back in the playoffs.
FORBES: The NHL Scores With Maple Leafs Ending Playoff Drought
The Leafs quickly answered back in the dying minutes of the second period, tying the game at three goals apiece thanks to a Clarke MacArthur slapshot.
WSJ: Bruins' Krejci Shines in Playoffs Win Against Maple Leafs
The Bruins head back to Boston Friday for Game 5, taking a three games to one lead against the Leafs in the NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
WSJ: Bruins' Krejci Shines in Playoffs Win Against Maple Leafs
Franson's power-play goal at 6:41, his fourth this season, gave the Leafs a 2-0 advantage as they scored on their first two shots of the period.
You can bet that every NHL player is rooting for a long playoff run by the Leafs, if it is not at the expense of their own team.
FORBES: The NHL Scores With Maple Leafs Ending Playoff Drought
Cody Franson, Joffrey Lupul and Dion Phaneuf scored for the Leafs, who were solidly outshot 38-21 Phil Kessel, appearing in his 500th career NHL game, added three assists.
He'll be among the Leafs' players making their playoff debuts.
Yet while fans get swept up the growing furor, some analysts have begun to point out that the Leafs, despite a 25-16-5 record, are actually not so great of a team.
FORBES: The Maple Leafs Are The NHL's Worst Playoff Team, And It Doesn't Matter
The Leafs are the New York Yankees of Canada.
FORBES: The NHL Scores With Maple Leafs Ending Playoff Drought
New York briefly pulled into a tie with Toronto for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-4 shootout win over Winnipeg before the Leafs (55) moved back ahead by two points.
The Leafs could have ended their postseason drought with a win over the Islanders and a Carolina victory over the Winnipeg Jets, but instead dropped to 13-8-2 at home with a second straight loss.
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