The Florida Panthers are facing the Boston Bruins for game one of the second round today. Ahead of the game, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice defended Mitch Marner for his role on the winning goal from the Leafs-Bruins series.
Maurice was addressing the media about tonight's game between his Panthers and Jim Montgomery's Bruins. During the media availability, he took a moment to bring up the series deciding goal that got the Bruins to the second round, pointing out that the criticism of Mitch Marner is not entirely fair.
Paul Maurice on the OT goal Saturday and Mitch Marner ⬇️
It is fair to say that several Leafs players have taken heat for how the series ended, but Marner has perhaps gotten more criticism than any other player on the team. Morgan Rielly and William Nylander have also been criticized.
Mitch Marner is getting roasted for being a spectator on Pasternak's series-winning goal - and rightly so - but Morgan Rielly was just as laissez-faire. So sof', doze guy.
That being said, Hockey coach and technology developer Andrew Brewer believes Maurice knows what he's talking about. He notes that Marner would not be responsible for defending that play if the team is running a 1-2-2 setup, a common occurrence in the NHL.
Paul Maurice is spot on in this quote!
The Leafs run a 1-2-2, and as he alludes to, it was the change by Bertuzzi that led to the chaos in the Neutral Zone. Although it's a bad look, in Toronto's system that's not Mitch's guy!
Regardless, it does not matter anymore. The Bruins have moved on and are still in it while the Leafs are not. This is just part of the teams' history now.
