Friday night, the Maple Leafs waded through another game, an up-and-down bout with the Hurricanes that would wind up as yet another loss in a campaign overflowing with them.

The joy of snapping an eight-game skid came dipped in pain for the Maple Leafs, who lost captain Auston Matthews to a knee-on-knee collision.

It was almost poetic. A fitting meeting to begin this post-deadline stretch, this grim dash to Game 82. It became clear just how far the Maple Leafs have slipped after a loss to an old playoff rival.

The Maple Leafs are taking on water. Day by day, game by game, it's becoming undeniable — the ship is going down.

Fresh off a disappointing loss, the Leafs had a chance at redemption against the Panthers. Within five minutes, they were in shambles. Sonny Sachdeva breaks down another Leafs loss as the playoff hopes begin to really dim.

At the tail end of an all-time slate of hockey, where three of four quarterfinal games turned into overtime nail-biters, the Americans capped off the chaos by bucking the day's comeback trend.