Two Leafs interfered with and can't buy a penalty call, come up short in first game against ex-Leafs GM Kyle Dubas
The Toronto Maple Leafs were winners of 4 straight coming into this weekend's back-to-back against the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins, with a golden opportunity to make it 6 straight wins. The Hawks and Pens had other plans though, bringing their best efforts and limiting the Leafs to just 1 of a possible 4 points on this mini road trip.
There's not much we can really say about the effort in Chicago other than that the top line just didn't have it, which was the difference in the contest. Hawks netminder Arvid Soderblom was also a key contributor in the win, making a series of tremendous saves to keep the Hawks alive until Kevin Korchinski's eventual OT winner.
When it comes to the Leafs/Pens game, however, the Leafs weren't just playing against the Penguins last night. They were also battling the officials in this one. The Leafs had 3 power play attempts on the night, as did Pittsburgh, but in an effort to keep things as even as possible, the game-managers refused to call anything against the Pens with the Leafs down a goal late.
With the Leafs pushing to knot the game up at 3 goals apiece, Auston Matthews had ripped one off the crossbar, coming within an inch or two of tying the game late, but it was what had occurred from two separate Pens on the play that has Leafs Nation riled up.
In the video below, you'll first see Tyler Bertuzzi attempting to come out of a puck battle in the corner while the Leafs have possession, only to be hauled down by Erik Karlsson on his way out. Then, in the same play, you'll also see Marcus Pettersson with his hand off his stick and up in the face/throat of John Tavares, who was vying for position in front of the Pens' net. These are two pretty blatant missed calls at a crucial point in the game with the Leafs' net empty.
Game management has been a hot topic of conversation over the past few seasons, dating back to when the NHL had to fire disgraced former official Tim Peel for saying the quiet part out loud and accidentally revealing on a hot mic that he was actively looking for something to call on the Nashville Predators in a game against the Detroit Red Wings.
While I'm sure we all understand that being an NHL referee is a tough gig, these guys are just actively making themselves look bad now. If you want to ignore the Bertuzzi one as a board battle, fine - but why in the world is Pettersson not called for very openly taking his hand off of his stick to wrap it around Tavares' face and neck while Tavares holds his arms up to show the official that he is clearly being interfered with?
Disgraceful behaviour by the officials here. No, there's no guarantee that the Leafs would have scored on the power play to tie the game, but wouldn't it have been nice if the officials had just done their job and had given the Leafs the power play they deserved in the moment? Very frustrating stuff.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 26 | 321 ANSWERS Two Leafs interfered with and can't buy a penalty call, come up short in first game against ex-Leafs GM Kyle Dubas Should the Leafs have received a power play due to Bertuzzi and Tavares being interfered with? | ||
| Yes | 246 | 76.6 % |
| No | 25 | 7.8 % |
| Let's not make excuses for a loss | 50 | 15.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
