The Toronto Maple Leafs took Game 1 of their second-round series against the Florida Panthers.
Although it was a high-scoring affair that ended in a 5-4 win for the Leafs, most of the talk between Game 1 and Game 2 has centered on Sam Bennett’s elbow to the head of Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz.
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The conversion reached another level on Tuesday, following the NHL’s decision not to discipline Bennett for the hit.
Bennett drove through Stolarz’s head with his right forearm out, hitting the netminder in the head before he was removed from he game midway through the second period.
Stolarz has since rejoined the team, but he is listed as day-to-day and expected to remain out for Game 2.
Leafs head coach Craig Berube called the play “an elbow to the head” in his postgame comments, adding, “It’s clearly a penalty.”
Berube was asked again on Tuesday about the hit and the NHL’s decision not to suspend or punish Bennett after reviewing his action.
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Berube declined to reengage, refusing to address the league’s decision to forgive the Panthers forward.
“I’ve moved on from it,” Berube said. “I don’t want to talk about it. It’s over.“
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) and Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett (9) battle for position in front of the goal.John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, meanwhile, addressed the incident at a press conference held Tuesday with a tongue-in-cheek answer.
“Honest to god, I’ve seen every hit that Sam Bennett’s thrown since he was 12 years old on TV this morning,” Maurice said. “We’re six games into the playoffs, and he took a puck outside the crease, and now he’s a villain.
”There were far more egregious collisions in that game last night, but we won’t be talking about those.”
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Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday, May 7, at 7 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The series will then shift to Florida for Games 3 and 4.
Related: Panthers Coach Jokes About Sam Bennett’s Elbow on Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz
Related: Craig Berube Reveals How Maple Leafs Will Deal With Panthers’ Sam Bennett