Analyst Rips Mitch Marner to Shreds Over Poor Decision in Shootout Loss to Sharks

Last night saw the Leafs not only lose their first game this season when leading after two periods, but the first time they have lost when leading heading into the third in 41 games. It was also the San Jose Sharks' first win since January 27th.

Leafs head coach Craig Berube called out his team for their poor efforts immediately following the shootout loss against the Sharks.

However, on Tuesday morning on 'Leafs Morning Take', Nick Alberga and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton broke down the Leafs' overtime loss to the Sharks, with Hutton isolating his primary issue in the loss, which happened to be a poor decision by Mitch Marner.

Hutton was in disbelief when Marner's stick exploded in the middle of his shootout attempt, causing the puck to slide into the corner. The discussion led to Hutton calling out Marner for an error in judgement ahead of the shootout.

We didn't see if Marner checked his stick on the bench after the extra frame, but it is still a surprise that he didn't swap it out for a new one given where the blocked shot hit it and how frequently we see players exchange sticks during the course of a game.

More to the point, how can you not grab a fresh piece of lumber for the shootout, just in case? That was a poor choice of judgement by Marner, and a costly one.