The Toronto Maple Leafs stand atop the Atlantic Division for the first time in their franchise history.

The Leafs secured the top spot in the division after a 4-0 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. It took more than half the game for the first goal to be scored, and the Leafs had to manage a 1-0 lead for most of the game, as the final three goals came in the final five minutes.

The Leafs entered the night either needing a point in their game against the Sabres or the Tampa Bay Lightning to lose in any fashion to the Florida Panthers to lock up first place in the Atlantic. With the Lightning winning 5-1 in their game, it came down to the Leafs needing a point in their game to clinch, and a 4-0 win was more than enough to do the job.

The result gives the Leafs a four-point advantage over the Lightning, and with both teams only having one game left on their schedule, that means Tampa Bay won’t be able to surpass the Leafs at this point of the season.

The Leafs secure the division title for the first time under the current conference and division alignment, despite making the playoffs in eight of the 11 seasons. They did win their division in 2020-21, but that was during the COVID-shortened season where the Leafs were in the all-Canadian North Division. Before that, they hadn’t won a division since the 1999-00 season.

By winning the division, the Leafs also lock in a first round matchup with the Ottawa Senators. It will be the first time that the Leafs and Sens have squared off in the playoffs since 2004, a 4-3 series win for Toronto which was the second-most recent time they’d won a playoff series. The Senators won all three games against the Leafs this season, although the team has never won a playoff series against the Leafs in their history.