Craig Berube Slams Sam Bennett for Vicious Hit on Anthony Stolarz Following Game 1

Although the Toronto Maple Leafs came away with the 5-4 victory and 1-0 series lead over the Florida Panthers, they weren't without some serious concerns.

Firstly, Jake McCabe left though that was just a bit of a scary 'what if' moment, then came barrelling in Sam Bennett.

Bennett took a dirty cheap shot to the head of Anthony Stolarz during the game, not only knocking his former teammate out of the game, but also potentially seriously causing issues.

Stolarz had to be hospitalized after vomiting on the bench and was stretchered out during the game.

It was a brazen display of violence that warrants a deep look from the league.

It didn't sit well with fans, or the Maple Leafs, and no doubt Bennett is going to get his comeuppance once he steps foot on the ice again.

Craig Berube was especially upset and had a very blunt observation of Bennett's hit:

While the head coach isn't telling us something we don't already know, the fact remains that Stolarz is going to be out for the foreseeable future.

That's especially terrible for a team who was dependent heavily on Stolarz this postseason, and now it will be up to Joseph Woll to handle the pressure.

While you can argue from a competitive standpoint that what Bennett did was part of the game, there's a very thin line between setting the tone and being malicious, and Bennett was the latter.

Berube's hope is that the NHL is going to do their job properly, as he left things in their hands (which is a 50/50 shot at best).

He could have held back, he could have shoved his stick into Stolarz's shoulder.

But he didn't, and now is going to need to answer to the NHL's Player Safety Department (which will hopefully make the correct decision).

Hopefully there's nothing seriously wrong with Stolarz. Concussions are nothing to be ignored, and the fact he was already dazed and nauseous after a short time is a horrific bit of news.

All we can hope for is that he makes a swift and strong recovery, and the Maple Leafs can weather the storm that the Panthers will bring.