The Toronto Maple Leafs got the better of the visiting Vegas Golden Knights at Scotiabank Arena Wednesday night, earning a 3-0 shutout victory.
But there was one incident that drew the ire of the sold-out crowd, especially considering recent circumstances with Ryan Reaves. Golden Knights defenseman Zach Whitecloud leveled forward Matthew Knies with a brutal hit in the neutral zone:
Zach Whitecloud catches Matthew Knies with a high hit. pic.twitter.com/9DaenOV3zZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 21, 2024
Knies hit his head on the ice and was visibly dased and left the game; he was eventually ruled out by the Maple Leafs for the remainder of the contest. And as he was making his way back toward the bench, Whitecloud was confronted by Simon Benoit, resulting in multiple on-ice scrums.
And while Whitecloud was initially slapped with a five-minute major penalty, a video review resulted in the call being reversed by the on-ice officials.
Whitecloud escaped penalty (while also picking up a two-minute minor for his scuffle with Benoit), but the fans were understandably miffed, giving the officials a frank assessment of their performance:
A “Refs you suck” chant breaks out at ScotiaBank after this Whitecloud hit on Knies is ruled 2 minutes for roughing and not a major penalty. What do you think the call should have been? pic.twitter.com/IgPgW2Nnvt
— Jesse Blake (@JesseBlake) November 21, 2024
Despite the loss of Knies, Toronto picked up the two points and the victory. They improved to 12-6-2, while Vegas dropped to 11-6-2. However, there was no immediate update on Knies’ condition from the Leafs, who are already without the injured Max Domi.
The Maple Leafs have already lost Ryan Reaves to suspension
The Maple Leafs are already playing without hard-nosed forward Ryan Reaves, who was suspended for five games by the NHL Department of Player Safety for his dangerous hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse on Saturday night.
Nurse’s head was deemed to be the principal point of contact; he also left that game and did not return, requiring assistance from team medical staff to get off the ice and down toward the dressing room for treatment.
Toronto will have several days off, as they’re not in action until Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club.
The post Maple Leafs fans let refs have it after controversial Matthew Knies hit appeared first on ClutchPoints.
