NHL scores 2015: Maple Leafs end historic losing streak, Tampa Bay falls at home

The worst stretch of hockey in franchise history ended on Saturday when the Maple Leafs walloped Edmonton at home for a 5-1 win. The victory ended an 11-game losing streak that essentially rocked the foundations of the franchise.

Toronto may have won, but the streak’s aftermath left ripples that should affect how the next few weeks play out. The key word there is “should”. General manager Dave Nonis’ job is reportedly safe depending on what moves he makes at the deadline. A few weeks from now, this Toronto team could look completely different than it did when the streak began.

Which is as it should be. The Leafs played extremely well on Saturday, but there’s plenty of reasons to wonder if the losing streak would still be active if their opponent wasn’t the Oilers.

Maple Leafs 5, Oilers 1

1. Tampa Bay’s finally concedes on home ice.

Believe it or not, but the Lightning had not lost a game at Amalie Arena since December 9. That’s 60 days of perfect home hockey that was finally broken by the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. The Lightning still remain the league’s best on home ice this season. It’s doubtful that will change, but if this does indicate a return to league norms at home for Tampa Bay then they could be in trouble. Their decidedly average road record (12-11-4) isn’t enough to bolster them if they lose confidence in Florida.

2. Dallas suffered a massive loss in Buffalo.

There’s no getting around it: the Stars’ playoff hopes took a huge hit after their 3-2 defeat at the hands of the lowly Sabres. The Stars (dead last in the Central now) were already going to be hard-pressed to find extra points to get back in the race down the homestretch. But now, after wasting away two easy points in Buffalo, the Stars are running out of feet to shoot.