Refs Under Fire Following Brutal Missed Calls Nearly Costing the Maple Leafs Division Lead

The Toronto Maple Leafs seemed to have nearly lost their chance at first place in the Atlantic Division after multiple calls that didn't go the team's way seemed to have been the case of multiple mishaps by the officials in charge.

Going up against their division rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Leafs found themselves on the receiving end of multiple penalties that seemed from Toronto fans to inherently benefit Tampa.

With just over left to play in the third period, Nickholas Robertson was high-sticked along the boards by Tampa's Darren Raddysh, with a penalty not called on the play.

Brayden Point then got into a fight with Bobby McMann, in which both Point and McMann were given matching five-minute major penalties for fighting.

However, the real controversy came with an additional penalty to McMann for cross-checking, a penalty not given to Raddysh.

On the ensuing power play, Victor Hedman scored a goal for Tampa, tying things up 3-3.

Luckily for Toronto, they escaped with a win in overtime on a Matthew Knies game-winner, a major consolation for a disappointing third period with playoff implications meaning every point matters.

Despite the win, Leafs fans still seem to feel the team was robbed of missed calls, having to settle with an unfair penalty disadvantage on their end; something that not only doesn't help Toronto's PK but makes it feel like the NHL is out to get the team at any cost.

If Tampa had defeated Toronto in regulation, they would have left the game with 98 points in the standings, which would have tied them with the Leafs with only a handful of games to go.

It's not known why the Lightning didn't get called for the Raddysh cross-check on Robertson, who ironically had to serve McMann's minor for cross-checking.

In the end, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3, but had to face a difficult penalty issue late in the game that has fans reeling in what could have been a major impact to the Leafs clinching the division.

It's something the team can't afford to have happen come playoff time, that's for sure.