The Toronto Maple Leafs are facing some criticism for their handling of a 7-1 blowout win over rival Montreal on Saturday night.
The focus of the criticism is centered around the fact they put their top power play unit on the ice late in the game with a commanding lead and that they allowed Jett Alexander, an amateur goalie signed to a tryout contract to serve as their backup for the game, to play in the final minute of the game.
Both of these are considered winning in poor taste in the NHL, and at least one member of the Canadiens did not appreciate it.
“They’ll get what they deserve in a few weeks,” Canadiens defenseman Chris Wideman said of the Maple Leafs’ decision to put Alexander in to close out the game, via Kevin McGran.
Alexander, who is a college goalie at the University of Toronto, was signed to an amateur tryout contract prior to Saturday’s game to serve as the backup to Ilya Samsonov. The Maple Leafs signed him because veteran goalie Matt Murray is sidelined with an injury, and by signing an amateur tryout contract they were able to use some financial gymnastics to stay compliant under the league’s salary cap, something that would have been a struggle had they called up somebody from the American Hockey League.
It was assumed that Alexander would only take part in warmups and only be used in a worst-case scenario if something were to happen to Samsonov during the game. But with the Maple Leafs having a commanding 7-1 lead in the final minute, the decision was made to let Alexander live out a childhood dream and step on the ice for an NHL game.
The Edmonton Oilers had a similar situation play out earlier this season when they let Mathew Berlin finish a game.
Along with the decision to put Alexander into the game, longtime Toronto sports columnist Damien Cox was also critical of the team for putting their best players on the ice for a power play late in the game.
While some may take issue with one of or both of Toronto’s decisions, Montreal has to take its share of responsibility as well. This is the big leagues, and if you do not want to get embarrassed by the other team, the best solution is to simply play better yourself. If you are going to take penalties late in a lopsided game against your arch-rival, you should expect them to try to score.
