Despite snapping an eight-game losing streak with a 6-4 win over the Ducks, the Maple Leafs face a somber reality as captain Auston Matthews suffered a lower-body injury on a controversial hit that left head coach Craig Berube questioning his team’s initial lack of response.
The Toronto Maple Leafs finally found the win column on Thursday night, snapping an eight-game losing streak with a 6-4 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. However, the mood inside Scotiabank Arena was far from celebratory.
The game took a dark turn late in the second period when Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas leveled Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews with a knee-on-knee hit. Matthews, who had snapped his own 12-game goal drought earlier in the frame, remained on the ice in visible agony before being helped to the locker room.
The Leafs announced that theirtcaptain would not return to the game, citing a lower-body injury.
While the hit earned Gudas a five-minute major and a game misconduct, it was the lack of an immediate physical response from the four other Maple Leafs on the ice that left head coach Craig Berube wanting a response sooner.
"I mean, obviously, we should have had four guys in there doing something about it but it didn’t happen then."
Berube was pleased with how his team responded in the third period.
"I thought they responded in the third," Berube noted. "It was, you know, a good response there, but we all would like everybody to get in there right away."
The Leafs recorded 33 minutes in penalties, while also scoring two power-play goals on the major penalty assessed to Gudas that ultimately helped crawl out what seemed like a team that was destined to lose their ninth straight game.
Even rookie Easton Cowan got in on the physicality, receiving a 17 minutes in penalties for instigating a fight with Ducks defenseman Jackson Lacombe,.
"It was great," Berube said of Cowan’s scrap. "I mean, it wasa lot of what we talked about. And I thought that everybody went out and did what we asked in the third period, including, you know, Cowboy getting involved."
Making his Leafs debut, Michael Pezzetta also made an immediate impact, fighting Jeffrey Viel right off the faceoff to inject life into a stagnant Toronto roster.
"He did a good job. Very happy for him and proud of him," Berube said of Pezzetta.
Despite the comeback win, the status of Matthews hangs over the franchise. Berube offered no definitive update on Matthews’ condition, stating only that he would be evaluated tomorrow.
The Leafs will not practice on Friday and instead hold a full morning skate on Saturday morning at KeyBank Center where they will prepare against the Buffalo Sabres.
Berube, when pressed about what he said to his team in the second period following a lack of initial response, didn’t want to reveal it saying he wanted to keep it in the room. But it’s clear he was unhappy about the lack of response.
And when they did finally respond physically, the Leafs got their first win since Feb. 3.
"It shows that you need passion, emotion in the game to be successful," Berube said. "It really does. We all know that."
If the Gudas is suspended for his hit on Matthews, word of a hearing would likely come down on Friday before the NHL Department of Player Safety would render a decision.