Strange play results in a penalty to Mark Giordano in Leafs' debut; then the call is reversed
It was an exciting night for Leafs fans, and the team too for that matter, as a pair of new faces in Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell made their Leafs debuts in brand new alternate black and blue Leafs jerseys during the annual Next Gen game.
For Giordano, the evening was extra special, as it was also a homecoming game for the Toronto native. The energy was high for the entire group on this night, and Giordano was a stabilizing presence all night, forming a fantastic pairing for the Buds with rookie defenseman Timothy Liljegren.
There was one strange sequence at the beginning of the third period where, on a fresh sheet of ice, a bouncing puck snuck past Giordano, who had a New Jersey forechecker hot on his heels. During the sequence, Giordano got his stick near the skates of Tomas Tatar, appearing to tap the heel of Tatar, who was off balance trying to sneak past the veteran blueliner. Tatar did end up falling over while trying to take a shot and the officials called a penalty on Giordano for tripping.
Giordano was baffled as to why he was called for a penalty, confirming after the game that he didn't feel as though he even caught the skate or the leg of Tatar enough for him to cause a trip. He viewed the play as a bit of a heel pick by an off-balance Tatar.
As Gio was carted off the ice by the officials, Leafs bench boss Sheldon Keefe was HOT about the call, trying his best to get the attention of the officials to make sure they knew the call was a poor one. As Giordano stepped inside the box, the officials gathered at center ice to discuss the play. Here's the play in question.
Ultimately, the referees to do something we don't often see - they called the play back and allowed Giordano to exit the penalty box without having to serve the penalty. After a brief explanation to the Devils, play resumed and the Leafs skated to a 3-2 victory.
It's not every day that the Leafs are bailed out by the officials. That's one for the scrapbook right there.
| POLL | ||
MARS 23 | 186 ANSWERS Strange play results in a penalty to Mark Giordano in Leafs' debut; then the call is reversed Do you think Giordano deserved a penalty on the play? | ||
| Yes, there was enough contact on the heel | 36 | 19.4 % |
| No, the refs were right to call it back | 96 | 51.6 % |
| Bad calls are made every game.. move on | 41 | 22 % |
| Mark Giordano is perfect! | 13 | 7 % |
| List of polls | ||
