Darren Raddysh Takes Blame For 'Dumb' Penalty That Preceded Mammoth’s Power-Play Winner In Maple Leafs Loss

Darren Raddysh didn’t need long to assess what separated the Toronto Maple Leafs from a better result Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena. Asked what he thought was the difference in the Utah Mammoth’s 3-2 win, the defenceman pointed directly at himself.

“I think my penalty,” Raddysh said. “They’ve got a lethal power play and I kind of took a dumb penalty there, so I take blame for that one.”

The sequence arrived with the score tied 2-2 in the third period. Raddysh was assessed a cross-checking minor at 11:42. Less than two minutes later, Nick Schmaltz finished off a power-play rush, poking a loose puck past Sergei Bobrovsky after the Leafs goaltender had stopped Clayton Keller. Schmaltz’s goal, assisted by Keller and Mikhail Sergachev, stood as the winner with 6:48 remaining.

Raddysh did not contest the call.

“No, it’s a penalty. It’s one I would like to have back. Nothing I can do about it now,” he said. “Just move on and just too bad we didn’t get the result we wanted.”

Head coach Jim Hiller offered a similar assessment without softening the language. 

“It took a long time for us to get going, no question. And Bob kept us, and then took a stupid penalty. Let’s call it what it is, and it cost us. Thought we had all the momentum, and didn’t turn out very well for us.”

Hiller said he had not seen similar penalties become a pattern from Raddysh.

 “I think he knows pretty clearly. I haven’t seen that happen over and over again. That’s a one-off, I guess. In his case, he’s clear. I think guys said he didn’t like the penalty. He took it himself. He understands that. That’s hockey. I think we all do.”

The Leafs had generated enough momentum to force the late push. Jack Roslovic scored twice—both assisted by Auston Matthews, including the equalizer at 9:05 of the third on a solo rush. From Raddysh’s vantage point in the closing minutes, the Leafs continued to create looks.

Bobrovsky finished with 33 saves. Raddysh credited the goaltender while noting a couple of sequences that felt like interference. One of those was called as such. The other, scored by Andrew Peeke, occurred after Barrett Hayton collided into the Leafs goaltender, stood without Toronto challenging it. 

“I thought maybe were goaltender interference, but you know that’s just how it goes sometimes. And he was great for us again,” Raddysh said of Bobrovsky.

See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.