Toronto Maple Leafs Under Fire for Failing to Challenge Senators' Game-Winning Goal
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost a close Battle of Ontario on Saturday, but one crucial oversight may have cost them the game as the team neglected to make a challenge.
It wasn't the game that Craig Berube wanted out of his team in a crucial matchup with the Ottawa Senators, as Toronto fell 2-1 to their provincial rivals.
It was a game that started hot but slowly devolved into a fairly innocuous and slow game, only capped off by Shane Pinto's game winner.
But it was Pinto's goal that was the subject of controversy, as Toronto neglected to make a challenge on the play and see if Pinto made a kicking motion, or directed it on purpose with his knee, but the team let it go and it cost them the game.
Maple Leafs Criticized For Failure To Use Coach's Challenge
The worst that could happen is the team would have been assessed a minor penalty for delay of game, however in the grand scheme of things in a game where not much happened, is that really that bad?
Failing to challenge and at least take a look at the play is really a questionable oversight from Craig Berube, a coach who normally is at the forefront of making sure the referees and linesmen do their jobs properly.
Earlier this season, Steven Lorentz had a goal called back for a near identical play after Washington decided to question the goal.
There was a precedent for Toronto to make a call and they didn't.
Whether it was confidence they could overcome the deficit, or a genuine oversight, it still turned the tide of the game and Ottawa held momentum the rest of the way.
The Leafs PK is at 80.5%, good for 12th in the NHL.
While not incredible, they are competent enough defensively to have killed off a two minute minor, but as always; hindsight is 20/20.
It wasn't the only blight on the game either, but luck went Toronto's way this time. In the first period, Ottawa's Nick Cousins laid a brutal knee on knee hit to Maple Leafs rookie Jacob Quillan.
Cousins got the worst of the exchange however, needing assistance off the ice and leading to his absence for the foreseeable future.
Saturday's game against Ottawa showed the true need for the Maple Leafs to add some serious scoring punch to their lineup, as the team had several late game chances but nobody with the skills or awareness to bury the biscuit.
It's going to be tough for Craig Berube and the rest of the blue and white, and if things don't improve soon they will see their Atlantic Division reign slowly dissipate.
Perhaps it's a lesson to Berube: Challenge the play; it's worth the cost.
