As far as meaningless hockey games go, this is as futile as it gets.

Game 82. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings. Toronto is off to the playoffs, while Detroit will watch from home. There’s absolutely nothing on the line. The Red Wings can tie Columbus in the standings, but that’s it. Toronto already clinched the top spot in the Atlantic.

The goal for both teams? Just don’t get hurt.

For Toronto, they’re already a little banged up. Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and David Kampf are all out, but coach Craig Berube hopes they’ll be back for Game 1. Dallas lost Jason Robertson to a lower-body injury last night, which could prove deadly heading into the playoffs. Toronto will want to do whatever it takes to avoid something serious of its own. Toronto can’t afford to do what Carolina or Vegas have done in recent weeks and sit just about every notable player. The lineup Toronto ices tonight won’t be that much different than what we see against the Ottawa Senators in Game 1.

Berube said he’ll manage minutes the best he can. Maybe it means more ice time for their depth, including veteran Dakota Mermis. The 31-year-old has played three NHL games between Toronto and Utah this season after bouncing around the two teams via waivers (and a season-opening injury). Mermis has 77 games of NHL experience over eight years, but he’s the type of guy you can slot in on the bottom pairing, get some blocked shots and hits, and call it a day.

It would also be a great opportunity for Max Domi to have a big night. He has no goals and just two assists over the past five games.

But as a team, they can’t take it lightly and develop bad habits. Toronto is riding a four-game winning streak and are 8-1-1 over the past 10 games. So even though they locked up a playoff spot a while back, they wanted to avoid any negative juju with the season coming to a close.

“You just have to play the game,” Berube said during the pre-game media conference. “You can’t go out there and worry about it. You can’t go out there and be tentative if you don’t want to play these games. You have to be smart.”

The Leafs are 2-1-0 over the Wings this season, with all three games coming in the first half. Toronto has outscored the Wings 10-7, and are 4-for-7 on the man advantage.

The Red Wings won’t want to finish the season off on a sour note, though. They’re on a three-game winning streak themselves, playing some decent hockey to close things out. Notably, Patrick Kane – a pending UFA – is two points away from his 15th 60-point season and his first since registering 92 in Chicago in 2021-22. You have to imagine the 36-year-old is going to go all out heading into his next contract discussion.

Plus, given the close proximity of the two teams, there are bound to be some Red Wings fans in attendance. They’re not going to want to leave empty-handed.

Toronto will quickly shift its focus to the Battle of Ontario, which is expected to begin Sunday at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs have just one playoff series victory dating back to 2004, and a series loss to their biggest local rival would be nothing short of embarrassing. That’s why it’s important to end the regular season on the right foot and carry that momentum.

But it can’t come at the expense of intensive bruising all around the lineup. Berube should use this as a chance to let guys deeper in the lineup shine and, if it gets out of hand, staple the team’s core to the bench.

But, by any means necessary: don’t get hurt. And, more importantly, don’t do anything stupid.