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Toronto Maple Leafs officially knocked out of playoff hunt

WATCH: It is tough to be a Leafs fan, but some are turning to humour to cope. Carey Marsden reports.

TORONTO – The Maple Leafs have been mathematically eliminated from the post-season after the Boston Bruins earned a point against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Leafs’ playoff hopes were extinguished when the Bruins earned a point in a 2-1 shootout loss against the Sabres.

The most points the Leafs could end up with is 82 if they manage to win their 11 remaining games starting Thursday at home against the San Jose Sharks. The Bruins have 82 points and hold the last wild-card spot in the East.

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Leafs fans have endured a long season of winless streaks, injuries and poor on ice performance that culminated with some fans being ticketed for throwing their jerseys on the ice. This early exit from playoff contention marks the ninth time in 10 seasons Toronto has failed to make the post-season.

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Monday’s depressing 4-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, who scored three goals in the first 11 mintues, led fans taking to Twitter to air their grievances with the hashtag #LeafsAsAMovie

Toronto fans will look to the NHL draft lottery for improvement and can take solace in the fact the team has a 9.5 per cent chance of landing the first overall draft, and the possibility of franchise player Connor McDavid.

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