Pierre-Luc Dubois blames loss to Leafs on officiating

While most would agree that NHL officiating can be very hit or miss (notably miss on a couple occasions for the Leafs so far this season), Dubois' comments would suggest that the refs had an impact on the outcome of this game. Both teams had three power plays, but the Leafs were able to convert twice, while the Jets went 0/3. There was also a three goal differential in the final score, so there wasn't one specific play or penalty that would have cost them the game. This is likely more of an emotional reaction from a player who has made headlines over the past few months, for all the wrong reasons.

It is worth noting that these two teams do not like each other. Last year, Rasmus Sandin suffered an injury from a knee-on-knee hit from Neal Pionk, Wayne Simmonds tussled with Logan Stanley, Kyle Clifford fought Brenden Dillon and, of course, there was the infamous video of the Jets celebrating their win like they won the Stanley Cup. Plus, who could forget Auston Matthews scoring his 50th goal against the Jets in a 7-3 win in March last season. There is definitely some bad blood, which could have inspired this response from Dubois.

The Leafs and Jets will face-off again on January 19th, in Toronto, where there will almost certainly be another great game. As a fan, this is one to circle on the calendar, and knowing the way these teams player each other, they'll likely have it circled as well.