Yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off their playoffs on a bad note, dropping the series opener to the Boston Bruins 5-1. After the game, the referees had to intervene when the Leafs tried to pull a fast one on their opponent.
The Leafs held their own against the Bruins for most of the game, even outperforming them in terms of expected goals by a wide margin according to some models. However, the bounces just didn't go their way. After the game, the team apparently tried to skate off the ice with the game puck to spite the Bruins, forcing the referees to step in.
Ordinarily, this wouldn't really be a big deal. However, in the playoffs, each team typically has a board with 16 holes cut in it, one for each game puck from a game they win. This is to represent the 16 wins that are required to lift the Stanley Cup as champions.
