Matthews, Bunting caught in the middle of an intense scuffle with Panthers; Matthews delivers nasty trip, Bunting drops the gloves
With the Leafs trailing 4-2 in the second period of Tuesday's matchup against the Florida Panthers, the game's intensity was escalating quickly. In this instance, a scrum had begun to ensue after the whistle had blown, with Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews being caught up in the middle of it. In response, his linemate and close friend Michael Bunting came to his defense.
The play started as an annual meeting in the corner, with both teams battling for the puck. Shortly after that, Panthers center Nick Cousins (not Montour, as the clip above mentions) felt the need to aggressively start cross-checking Matthews while he observed the play from a short distance. After three cross-checks, Matthews had had enough as he then proceeded to trip Cousins, taking hit feet out from under him.
Before Cousins could rise to his feet, Bunting came to Matthews' defense, as we have seen numerous times over his tenure with the Leafs. Bunting physically pushed Cousins around and attempted to engage in a fight with him as he threw his gloves to the ice immediately.
His reaction and others teammates' willingness to mix it up after the whistle throughout the game have been a testament to their development as a team. As Anthony Stewart of the Sportsnet panel stated between periods, the Leafs seem to look out for one another more often than in recent memory, which prevents teams from taking advantage of their superstars.
The play ended with penalties being awarded across the board. Cousins was given two minutes for cross-checking, Bunting was docked for roughing, and Matthews was penalized for tripping. At this time, this may have been the turning point in the game as the Leafs sparked their eventual comeback after this play.
The game had been physical, as a total of 30 penalty minutes were handed out between the two teams by the end of the second period.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 18 | 305 ANSWERS Matthews, Bunting caught in the middle of an intense scuffle with Panthers; Matthews delivers nasty trip, Bunting drops the gloves Is this Leafs team better equipped for the playoffs than last year's team? | ||
| Yes | 196 | 64.3 % |
| No | 38 | 12.5 % |
| They're about the same | 71 | 23.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
