Call it a Christmas miracle: The Maple Leafs still are in playoff hunt at break

It could be one of the bleakest Christmas breaks on Bay Street in quite a while.

Far from a secure playoff spot — when an NHL-best 10th consecutive appearance had been taken for granted by most — the Maple Leafs go in four games below .500 (16-15-5).

They’re glad to be with family the next few days — that’s what the Yuletide is all about, after all — and maybe giving thanks for a few other work-related blessings that could still make 2026 a happy new year.

Our five factors why the Leafs should be grateful for this Christmas:

It’s Parity Time

In any other season, for any other team, twice hitting the bottom of the Eastern Conference would already settle its post-season fate.

Yet with their 6-3 win over Pittsburgh at home on Tuesday, the Leafs had ‘improved’ from last in the crowded East to within five points of the second wild-card spot.

Last month, centre John Tavares fretted that the Leafs were running out of runway. This week, he was among those assuring “there’s a lot of hockey left.”

Winger Steven Lorentz, off to spend a few days with family in the Waterloo area, looked forward to a mental “reset” before another vital divisional test Saturday against Ottawa at Scotiabank Arena.

“We’ll take two points now any way we can get them,” said Lorentz, who scored on Tuesday. “It’s nice to have this cushion going into the break.”

Net results

How subterranean would the Leafs be without their goaltending?

Dennis Hildeby had to shoulder the burden of being a No. 1 for a few days and, for a brief moment, was among the NHL save percentage leaders (currently at .911).

Joseph Woll chose to keep the reason for his early month-long absence at home to himself, but has paid back the team’s patience with five wins in his past seven decisions and his own sparkling save percentage of .923.

That includes some timely saves, such as Tuesday on a wide-open Anthony Mantha following one of more than 40 giveaways charged to Toronto in the past two games alone.

“Solid, I can’t complain about (either) of them,” head coach Craig Berube said of his netminders. “We put Hildeby in a hell of a spot and Woll has come back after his injury (nearly two weeks early in December) and done a good job.”

Stretching out Troy Stecher

The dream of the Leafs meeting the Oilers in an all-Canadian Cup final is far-fetched now, but Edmonton did Toronto a huge favour by putting the veteran defenceman on waivers.

He’s a small man who plays big — in some cases better than some Leafs regulars — and at plus-10 is second only to Jake McCabe on the club.

He bridged the gap the past few weeks to Chris Tanev’s return and, notably, was kept in the lineup Tuesday ahead of Simon Benoit.

The thrill of the kill

With all the ink on the last-place power play — 13.0% and so bad despite the Leafs’ star power that coach Marc Savard was fired his week — the penalty kill is hot, hot, hot.

One brief assignment Tuesday kept the Leafs at 83.3%, fifth in the league, not far off from the Colorado Avalanche, who are dominating every statistical category.

No more than one man-advantage goal has been surrendered in any game since Remembrance Day in Boston and the group, led by the goalies, is 21-of-23 killing penalties this month.

Double vision

The successful video challenge Tuesday for crease interference on Woll to negate a momentum-swinging goal was the latest sharp observation by video coaches Jordan Bean and Sam Kim.

For Woll, it was the second time in consecutive home games the duo bailed him out on a goal after he had believed the puck was covered.

“We have unbelievable video guys who are dialed in, watching everything,” Woll has said. “They’re like Hawkeye back there and I trust them to make the call whether we challenge something or not.”

lhornby@postmedia.com

X: @sunhornby