In front of their home crowd on Wednesday night, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked up their first victory since the All-Star break.
With goals 20 seconds apart in the third quarter at Scotiabank Arena, William Nylander and Mitch Marner helped the Leafs defeat the Dallas Stars 5-4 and break a 3-3 deadlock. The continuous struggle between Stars forward Mason Marchment and Leafs defenseman Jake McCabe, which ended with Marchment’s controversial late hit on McCabe, was one of the game’s main narratives.
McCabe appeared to get caught by Marchment with a late blindside check that was supposed to result in a penalty but was not signaled by the officials. And even though they won, the Leafs were not at all happy.
Mason Marchment should have been penalized
That was clearly a dirty play, after all. There was no puck at all. After notching two goals and an assist on Wednesday, Nylander told TSN’s Mark Masters, “So, kind of upset about that non-call.”
“I’m not sure, dude,” Marner repeated. The fact that it escapes detection is a little bit perplexing in that instance. Our bench is adept at living in the now and acknowledging that there will be other chances to get outside and accomplish something. But at the same time, don’t push it. It was one of those occasions.
The absence of a penalty on the play surprised Sheldon Keefe, the head coach of the Leafs, as well.
“It seems like they are targeting a vulnerable player, and that’s the kind of hit they don’t want to see in the game,” Keefe said. “The man needs stitches since he is bleeding all over. They will definitely take a look at it. Given that there was no call, it will be interesting to see if the NHL Department of Player Safety reviews the hit.
After dishing off his own assist, superstar Auston Matthews said, “Each game is going to present its own challenges.” There are likely to be various fluctuations in momentum. Our goal is to be mindful and in the moment.
Next up for the Maple Leafs is a Saturday night game against the Ottawa Senators in the nation’s capital. After a setback to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team is now 26-15-8 and back in third place in the Atlantic Division. This weekend, work must be done.
