WATCH: Chaos break out between Maple Leafs and Panthers players after conclusion of Game 4 playoffs
Ugly scenes were reported at the end of Game 4 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers as tensions boiled over between them.
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A snippet from Game 4 between the Maple Leafs and Panthers. (Pic Credit: Maple Leafs Hot Stove)
The Stanley Cup play-offs this season continues to deliver high drama and entertainment as teams battle it out to become champions. The second round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers has not been sort of any such values. In a game which they had to win, the Maple Leafs came out 2-1 on top. This has now forced a Game 5 as the Maple Leafs continue to fight for their season. The Game 4 however ended in a nasty sequences as a huge brawl broke out between the sets of players.
The tensions between the teams reached a boiling point as soon as the bruzzer went off. Panther’s defenseman Brandon Montour smashed Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly. This soon escalated into a huge fight as players got involved with each other. Matthew Tkachuk seemed to take advantage of this situation and decided to get physical with Mitch Marner who scored the winning goal.
To summarize the whole incident, Montour first had a go at Reilly. His teammates Jake McCabe and Noel Acciri were quick to come to his aid. This soon resulted in players having a go against one another. The whole altercation had a cheap shot as well. Sam Bennett jumped on top of the huge crowd of players and delivered a punch to McCabe. Experts have called out Bennett for this and have described it as the possibly the worst event of this clash.
Toronto Maple Leafs keep their season alive and force Game 5
Heading into the game, the Maple Leafs knew this was it. Another poor performance ans their season is over. A game of such high magnitude and stakes was always going to filled with tensions. However no one would have anticipated the scenes that took place as soon as the game ended. Professionalism in sports is an important thing. They way this series has gone so far, it is safe to say one should not expect that from them.
There were huge questions regarding the production of Maple Leafs’ front-line. Much was made about the productivity of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner going forward. The latter finally came up clutch as he setted up the first goal before scoring the second as the Leafs won 2-1. With regular goaltender Ilya Samsonov out injured, rookie goaltender impressed in his first post-season start. He made 24 saves to keep the Panthers at bay.
This event will surely see some action being taken by the NHL. The winner of this series will take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the next round. The Panthers will be hoping to put this brawl aside and quickly focus on the next game on Sunday. The Leafs have given themselves a chance to fight but will be enough at the end remains to be seen. The fifth game of this hotly contested series will take place on Sunday.
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Vinay Dave
(1874 Articles Published)