On Saturday night in Toronto, the Toronto Maple Leafs faced off against their original six rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, for their final meeting this season. The Maple Leafs dominated the Canadiens, who are currently in the process of rebuilding, with a final score of 7-1.
During the game, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe made the decision to replace goaltender Ilya Samsonov with emergency backup Jett Alexander. This move was viewed by many as a slap in the face to the Canadiens, including Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman, who commented that
After the game, Keefe was asked by the media about the decision to play Alexander. According to the Leafs head coach, the decision came from management and not from Keefe himself. Some speculate that this decision may have been an attempt by the Leafs to embarrass the Canadiens in retaliation for their elimination of the Leafs in the playoffs back in 2021.
