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Toronto Maple Leafs Sports activities NHL Hockey
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The Maple Leafs wished Sam Bennett known as on the carpet, however the NHL swept all of Thursday’s rogue actions beneath the rug.
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Toronto hoped the league would take one other take care of Bennett concussed Matthew Knies or assessment Bennett’s extra blatant cross-check on Michael Bunting.
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However the Division of Participant Security didn’t pursue the unpenalized hit on Knies, whereas fining Bennett $5,000 on Friday for his stick work, the utmost beneath the CBA.
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Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe had known as Bennett on Bunting “eerily related” to what Auston Matthews was handed a two-game sentence for final season, a excessive stick on Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin.
Bennett insisted there was nothing nefarious concerning the Knies incident.
“I feel he tried to hit me and I jumped out of the best way,” the centre mentioned after Sport 2. “He obtained tied up in my arm there. That was just about it on that one.”
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Bennett, nonetheless, was contrite concerning the Bunting shove, saying “I’d prefer to take that one again,” claiming he was making an attempt to strike Bunting within the shoulders, however his stick “rode up” the Leaf’s again.
Florida coach Paul famous there was no obvious harm to Knies at first look and that his workforce has “been on the opposite facet of the ledger sufficient” in getting penalized by the playoffs.
WILL HE PRODUCE?
Florida is the wildcard workforce within the NHL’s Japanese Convention, William Nylander is the Leafs wildcard winger.
He introduced a career-best 40-goal common season into the playoffs, scored in each Video games 1 and a pair of versus Tampa Bay, had a three-assist Sport 4 in a stirring time beyond regulation win, then went off the radar once more.
It doesn’t assist that Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner get extra particular groups’ time and it’s Nylander whose ice time typically will get sacrificed when newcomers are accommodated comparable to Ryan O’Reilly and Matthew Knies.
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However it was additionally Nylander who rose above all of them along with his play when the Leafs trailed the Panthers in Sport 2.
“Within the third interval he was dominant by a mile,” mentioned coach Sheldon Keefe. “He actually took management of the sport. He was unable to get it over the road and that’s the subsequent step. (However) it reveals what he’s able to.”
With Knies now out with a concussion, it would convey the next profile to Nylander. Keefe says all of the Leafs should get extra pictures and visitors on Sergei Bobrovsky, however he’s disillusioned that the primary energy play unit, which doesn’t embody Nylander, has had many alternatives on the doorstep, however only one objective on seven probabilities on this collection.
FEELING BLUE
The best way dwelling groups have faltered in these playoffs, maybe the Panthers ought to let in as many Leaf followers as doable to FLA Reside Enviornment somewhat than discourage them from turning the rink blue and white.
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Regardless of token resistance from the membership earlier within the week to guard their turf by limiting playoff ticket gross sales to U.S. bank card holders, there will probably be a Leaf presence. Many Snowbirds have already got American accounts or tickets will probably be out there to anybody on the secondary market.
Panthers’ Paul Maurice has coached two Canadian groups and is aware of that demographic all too nicely.
“There will probably be tons (of Toronto colors),” mentioned the Sault Ste. Marie-born Maurice, who beforehand labored in Toronto and Winnipeg. “Most of them received’t need to journey. Stroll round my neighbourhood, there’s Ontario license plates all over the place.
“It’s a perform of the good state of Florida. You will have followers of all 31 groups that reside there. Sport 6 in opposition to Boston, there have been a number of Bruin sweaters. (However) there’s a number of Panther followers, too.”
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CAT SCRATCH FEVER
There will probably be some actual love for the house workforce when it skates out Sunday night time, 5 wins in 9 nights, 4 of these on the street, to upset the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Bruins, then on to Toronto and taking Video games 1 and a pair of.
Maurice mentioned on the workforce’s Friday breakfast earlier than flying dwelling that few gamers and staffers might recall a extra intense set of video games performed so shut collectively, even those that’d been on Stanley Cup winners.
“And this isn’t Jersey – Rangers, the place we’re 11 miles aside. We’ve been on an airplane for awhile,” Maurice reminded.
Now they’re again, making an attempt to reverse this 12 months’s playoff development that has seen street groups accomplish that nicely, together with the Leafs who received three time beyond regulation video games up the freeway in Tampa Bay
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When the total Toronto – Florida schedule got here out, each Keefe and Maurice have been doubtless cautious of getting to attend an additional day on both facet of Video games 3 and 4. Upon additional assessment Friday, Maurice was grateful U.S. tv preferences pushed Hockey Evening In Canada’s regular Saturday particular again 24 hours.
“For what we needed to do (travel-wise), the remaining is important,” he mentioned. “The counterattacks Toronto does with Matthews and Marner, they’re the very best counter workforce within the league. For a forechecking workforce, we would have liked the remaining.”
Keefe mentioned his workforce additionally wanted a day to clear its head and get again to apply on Saturday earlier than flying.
lhornby@postmedia.com
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