There's a secret hack for getting Toronto Maple Leafs playoffs tickets for cheap

Any Toronto Maple Leafs fan who lives close enough to Scotiabank Arena has probably complained at least once in their lifetime about the high ticket prices, particularly in the playoffs.

Looking at the resale market for playoff tickets for this year, whether you were looking to see the team in Toronto or Ottawa, you couldn't get in for a price cheaper than at least $300 or so.

But if you are willing to be a little bit patient, things might just swing in your favour — and save you a few bucks toward finding your way into the building.

During Sunday night's Game 1 against the Ottawa Senators, prices showed for as little as $151 on StubHub in the minutes after puck drop during the opening frame.

If you waited until the end of the first period, the cheapest price for a standing room ticket in the upper deck had gone down to $85 at 7:48 p.m. By 8:14 p.m., those same tickets had dropped to $83, and at 8:18 p.m., they'd been put up at $67, perhaps uncanny given the fact the Leafs last won the cup in 1967.

By 8:59 p.m., midway through the second intermission, they'd dropped all the way to $51 for an obstructed standing room seat in section 318.

If you're willing to miss the first bit of a game, you can snag tickets for far cheaper than typical resale value. Prices from StubHub.

Of course, there's much less excitement to catching only one-third of a game, but it's still a much cheaper way to soak up the postseason atmosphere — and get to flex to all of your friends that you were there.

Buying tickets midway through a game is an obvious gamble, particularly if you have much more than a short commute to Scotiabank Arena. With just a one-game sample on this market check, we can't guarantee prices will behave accordingly for a future contest.

But if you live anywhere near the rink— or already have plans to be in the area to watch — checking the resale market after the next Leafs game begins might just be the way to create a memory you'll never forget.