There's always pressure on the Toronto Maple Leafs, but that has only been amplified thanks to a lackluster start this season. The Maple Leafs are trending in the wrong direction as the Eastern Conference looks as competitive as it's been in a long time.

How to watch Leafs vs. Penguins today: Channel, time, schedule, live stream for Monday Night Hockey originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. A classic matchup awaits on Monday Night Hockey this week.

Two teams at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings meet when the 15th-place Toronto Maple Leafs (9-9-2) host the 10th-place Columbus Blue Jackets (10-8-2) at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Toronto grabbed a 3-2 victory at home its last time out on Nov. 18 against the St. Louis Blues.

Can Craig Berube turn theory into chemistry? The Maple Leafs’ top-six looks good on paper — but will it survive the test of the ice?

The struggling Maple Leafs have a record of 8-7-1 through 16 games, but it's not enough to put them in playoff contention.

The Toronto Maple Leafs sit 8-9-2 through 19 games, and their opposition hasn’t exactly been the cream of the crop. Coaches will reflexively tell you that there are no easy games in this league, and that’s fine;

With David Kampf exiting Leafs Land, attention turns to Toronto players whose contract status is up in the air at the end of this season. Here are the Maple Leafs' soon-to-be free agents to keep your eye on this year.

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Easton Cowan is pursued by Columbus Blue Jackets centre Kent Johnson during a game last month. As part of our Maple Leafs coverage at the Toronto Sun, we’re keeping tabs on the club’s prospects, checking in on a weekly basis with the Leafs’ hopefuls across the hockey landscape.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a very passionate fanbase. Their fanbase reaches beyond the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and into the rest of Canada. However, even Canada is not large enough for Leafs Nation.