The Vegas Golden Knights were celebrating a massive 6-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday. Mitch Marner had an explosive game, scoring a hat trick and adding two assists. However, the biggest victory didn't even happen in T-Mobile Arena. Instead, it came in... San Jose?
Following a loss to the Sharks, the Maple Leafs have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and will miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season. pic.twitter.com/vEllFUcaYh
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 3, 2026
That's right, the Sharks handled the Maple Leafs, 4-1. Macklin Celebrini didn't score, yet that didn't matter as Toronto media found a new scapegoat to pin the blame on. Boy, I can only imagine the reaction that Marner had upon hearing that his former club was eliminated from Stanley Cup playoff contention. Certainly, there isn't any hard feelings towards his former club after the drama involved, right?
Nah, can't be it.
With the Golden Knights still in playoff contention, it makes this revelation even more fruitful. Sure, the 2025-26 season has gone to the wayside. Bruce Cassidy was fired and the team won't have more wins than losses this season. However, this is the Maple Leafs we're talking about here.
They fired general manager Brad Treliving recently, adding more fuel to the "clown show" fire. And now? They're not going to the Stanley Cup playoffs. It's a glorious day not just for Montreal, but for Golden Knights fans subjected to the endless chirping from Toronto.
Mitch Marner had the best day of his life on April 2, both in the rink and outside of Las Vegas
As I was reading something from one of the Fansided sister sites, it talked about Mitch Marner being in a "nightmare" situation. Of course, this brought up Cassidy being fired and John Tortorella being brought in. Well, does that look good right now?
Believe it or not, Tortorella is 2-0-0 during his Golden Knights tenure and the team is playing better. Sure, it's a small sample size (along with Tortorella's record) and Vegas played bottom-feeders. However, the Golden Knights are moving closer to clinching a playoff spot, especially after getting six points on the four-game homestand.
You can't say the same for the Maple Leafs, who've suddenly slipped on some black ice after watching Vegas go through a rough patch. They're eliminated from playoff contention and they're suddenly missing their old prodigal son. Mind you, that son happens to have 23 goals and 53 assists in his first season with the Golden Knights. That's pretty d*mn good in the realm, where Vegas plays a more team-oriented game.
Let's be honest for a second. There isn't much mileage in this Golden Knights team during the postseason. The goaltending remains a massive concern and Vegas still struggles with getting started in the first period. Therefore, don't expect the Golden Knights to do much during the 2025-26 Stanley Cup playoffs (if they make it).
However, it could always be much worse. You could be a team that hasn't seen a Stanley Cup since 1967 and a media that's overbearing and underwhelming. Luckily, none of that happens to reside in Sin City. Thursday proved that life is better in Vegas, even with a hot-headed head coach in tow.