Jake McCabe drops Brad Marchand with a stiff cross-check up high
In what was likely a preview of a first-round playoff matchup for the second time in a week, the Toronto Maple Leafs once again fell short against the Boston Bruins. While they were walked over on the scoreboard, on the ice was a much different story. Previous Leafs teams would have just let the Bruins take shots at them, but as we saw last night, not only did the Leafs hand them right back, in most of the exchanges, they were the aggressors.
That started early in the first period when the officials mistakenly gave the Bruins a 5-on-3 powerplay after calling a cross-checking penalty on Jake McCabe and roughing on Matthew Knies. Both cross-checks should have been given to McCabe and made it a 4-minute 5-on-4. Unfortunately, the Bruins scored on the powerplay, but at least Bruins captain Brad Marchand got a sore jaw out of all of it. First, McCabe cross-checked Jake DeBrusk, sending him to the ice, and when Marchand came over to have a word with McCabe, McCabe delivered a stiff cross-check up high to Marchand that sent him falling to the ice in a heap as well.
Both cross-checks delivered by McCabe were to the head/neck area so it would not be surprising to see the Department of Player Safety make some sort of announcement later today about supplemental discipline, likely nothing more than a fine since the plays were not retaliatory.
Oddly enough, later in the game, the Leafs were on the opposite end of a similar situation when Charlie Coyle was called for slashing and then delivered a subsequent cross-check to the face of Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi was cut on the play and Coyle should have received a two minute minor for slashing and a four minute double-minor for high-sticking because of it, but got two minutes for that and two minutes for slash instead. The play should have resulted in a 6-minute powerplay for the Leafs, not four. However, as we've seen throughout this season, the officials just can't seem to get it right.
At any rate, yes, the Leafs lost this one, but what they also did in the process was show the Bruins that they won't be pushed around in a 7-game series if the two Atlantic Division rivals are destined to lock horns in round 1.
| POLL | ||
MARS 8 | 581 ANSWERS Jake McCabe drops Brad Marchand with a stiff cross-check up high WIll McCabe face supplemental discipline? | ||
| Yes, it's the Leafs | 308 | 53 % |
| No, he shouldn't | 273 | 47 % |
| List of polls | ||
