The Toronto Maple Leafs are just one game away from crashing out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after losing Game 4 to the Boston Bruins 3-1 at home.
That’s already bad news, but what happened on the Leafs bench might be more worrying and telling of the changes the franchise could explore making ahead of next season if things truly go south.
During the second period of Game 4 played on Saturday, April 27, Sportsnet’s cameras caught a heated exchange of words between Toronto’s trio of superstar forwards: Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander.
Marner drew the ire of his teammates while the three were sitting on the bench.
At first, Matthews said something to Marner getting his attention but no response. Then, a visibly agitated Nylander (who played for the first time this postseason on Saturday) seemed to tell Marner to “Stop (expletive) crying bro, this isn’t junior (hockey).”
After hearing the criticism from his teammates, Marner’s frustration led him to remove his gloves and furiously throw them off.
The Leafs lost Game 4 to the Bruins and will face them in Game 5 back in Boston on Tuesday, April 30. Toronto trails their first-round opponents 3-1 in the series and will be forced to complete a very unlike comeback by winning three consecutive games to advance.
Mitch Marner & William Nylander Explained the Situation
After Saturday’s loss to Boston, in which Toronto looked empty and lacked any passion, Marner and Nylander talked to reporters and explained the sequence captured by the broadcast cameras during the second period.
“We’re not yelling at each other because we hate each other,” Marner told reporters after Game 4 on April 27. “We just want to be all on the same page to help each other out.”
According to Marner, what happened on the bench was nothing out of the ordinary. He explained that he and his teammates were just discussing what to do on the ice to improve their performance by aligning each other’s gameplan.
“We’re grown men, we just want to talk about plays to make sure we’re 100% on and know what we’re doing,” Marner continued. “Just a little bit off page there.”
Nylander was asked about the bench beef and how he’d explain what the world could see happen in that particular moment between him and Marner.
“That’s just the way–I mean, we expect a lot from each other and we love each other,” Nylander told reporters after the Game 4 loss. “So I mean, just to push each other, have a high ceiling, I think is great.”
Sheldon Keefe Removes Auston Matthews, Pulls Goalie in 3rd Period
The Leafs entered the final period of Game 4 trailing Boston 3-0 and desperate to find a spark that helped them try to mount a comeback.
It didn’t happen, but that wasn’t for a lack of trying.
Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe was forced to remove 69-goal scorer Auston Matthews from the game entering the third period because he couldn’t overcome his ongoing illness symptoms.
“It is all related to the illness he’s dealing with,” Keefe told reporters on April 27 explaining the Matthews removal from Game 4. “The doctors pulled him.”
Matthews played through an illness in Game 3 and missed the most recent practice (on Friday, April 26) before Game 4 took place a day later, which explains his removal from the final period of what was a must-win contest but also a nearly decided one by that time.
Keefe also pulled Ilya Samsonov after the starting netminder allowed 3 goals on 16 shots through the first 40 minutes. He introduced Joseph Woll in his replacement, who went on to stop 5 shots in relief allowing no goals.
“The reason for [the goalie substitution] is we’re just trying to change things,” Keefe explained. “You get to get [Woll] involved. That’s really it. You’re trying to change the momentum.
Keefe didn’t confirm nor deny if Woll will start Game 5 on Tuesday, April 30. “We’ve got some time here to talk it through,” he said.
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