When it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs and NHL officiating, it's like a rollercoaster of emotions. Sometimes you laugh, other times you're on the verge of tears. The inconsistency is so glaring that if you're not seeing it, you're probably not paying attention.
Toronto defeated their original six rivals, the New York Rangers 4-3 in the shootout on Saturday, but if the officials had done their jobs properly, things might have gone down differently.
In overtime, with just 7 seconds left on the clock, Mitch Marner seemed to have a clear lane to the net, but suddenly he was covered and lost the puck, all while the Rangers have too many men on the ice. By the rulebook, that should've been a penalty shot, not just a bench minor.
Yet Toronto recovered and won, closing to within two points of the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers at the top of the Atlantic Division standings. There's another original six clash with those beantown B's on Monday.
However, it doesn't excuse the refs, because a bad call like this could hurt the team, especially come playoff time. Unfortunately , history has shown us that the NHL doesn't always play by its own rules, especially when it comes to the Leafs.
