Maple Leafs Lose Liljegren After Questionable Trip By Marchand

It was not pretty to watch. Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren and Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand were heading high-speed into the corner after the puck, when Marchand got his stick between the defenseman's legs, leading to a disastrous crash into the boards. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe says Liljegren will miss "significant" time. 

Timothy Liljegren has been helped down the tunnel and has left the game after this play against Boston. pic.twitter.com/KOJ6YZ3XMq

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 3, 2023

His ankle and leg slammed awkwardly into the boards and he had to be helped off the ice and down the tunnel.

And while observers in Boston are calling the unfortunate incident a "hockey play", Sportsnet commentators watching the replay were unified in their response: “Stick between the legs… That’s a penalty all day! That's an absolute can opener.. That does not look good…” said analyst and former NHL player Craig Simpson upon reviewing the replay. “That’s a bad missed call.”

“This one really ticked me off,” added another former NHL player-turned-analyst Nick Kypreos. But he was more upset with what happened next—which was, essentially, nothing. “The lack of response and emotion (by the Leafs players) is what bothers me.”

As for Keefe, he was upset that the officials never even called a penalty on the play. "He just didn't see the stick go in between his legs and can-opener him to make him go feet-first into the boards in the most dangerous area on the ice. He didn't see it," Keefe said, facetiously.

Whether the NHL will assess any supplemental discipline on Marchand is yet to be determined.