The Maple Leafs are in last place in the Eastern Conference.

That nightmare became a harsh reality on Sunday afternoon when the Buffalo Sabres rose out of the conference basement with a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes to move one point past Toronto.

Players don’t like to look at the standings until the latter stage of the regular season, when serious jockeying for playoff positions drives into high gear.

But the Leafs might want to start glancing at the standings now. A jolt of cold water to the face with the last-place ranking could serve as a wakeup call. At this point, nothing should be left off the table.

How embarrassing is this for the Leafs, a team that, at the start of the regular season, considered itself a contender for the Stanley Cup?

The Sabres are an outfit that has

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