Paul Maurice Mocks Maple Leafs Fans Ahead of Pivotal Game 2

While the Maple Leafs head into the second game against Florida in Round Two, the atmosphere is going to be hostile not only on the ice, but in the stands as well.

Fans are going to be showing their immense displeasure towards Sam Bennett after he elbowed Anthony Stolarz in the head, leading to his hospitalization and Bennett becoming more of an enemy than he already was.

No doubt the jeers will be loud and clear, and hopefully it throws him off his game just enough for Toronto to pull through.

But Paul Maurice doesn't care, and took time ahead of Game 2 to mock the frustrated fans who believe Bennett should have received punishment.

When asked about if the reaction is going to affect his star forward, Maurice had a brazen response:

It's a bold statement from the head coach, and while it's understandable that the fans can't necessarily affect the game on the ice directly, their influence can certainly be felt.

Every time Bennett or Matthew Tkachuk touch the puck, you can expect a chorus of boos to rain down in Scotiabank Arena, and trying to drown out the noise to focus on the play at hand is going to make their lives difficult.

As it should.

Both men deserve some serious comeuppance due to their actions in Game 1, and the fact the NHL decided to not give any care towards protecting their players, it's up to players and fans to police things.

Although the fans hate Bennett at this point, they aren't savages and there won't be any rioting or trash being thrown on the ice; but don't be surprised if we get some colorful chants throughout the night.

Maurice has to be careful about the words he's speaking to fans, as the general consensus is that he has a fair bit of respect for what he's accomplished.

But he loses that credibility when he starts attacking the fans for trying to voice their displeasure with the way he coaches his team and how they respond to criticism.

So while the fans aren't bringing their skates on Wednesday, they are bringing a lot of animosity and hatred for Maurice and the Panthers, so he should probably keep his words short and sweet; he may eat them later on.