Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies took a bizarre penalty against the Ottawa Senators after cross-checking Ridly Greig, but there is more to it.
Whenever the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the playoffs, the fear is that the referees are going to be biased against the team and make questionable calls.
This had been the case for years and fans always hated. Moreover, the team would use it as an excuse whenever they lost, and it led to more losing.
Throughout this current postseason run, the bias against the Leafs has continued, but the team has done a much better job at managing it.
Are the referees biased against the Toronto Maple Leafs
For instance, in Game 3 against the Ottawa Senators, Matthew Knies was hit with a questionable cross-checking penalty against Ridly Greig.
Knies was being hammered from behind by the likes of Thomas Chabot yet there was no penalty called for that. However, once Knies started cross-checking someone back, he was sent to the box.
Of course, Senators fans weren’t buying the idea that the referees are biased. That said, their team is down 3-0 in the series, and they need all of the help they can get.
As for the Maple Leafs, they are pushing through despite their issues with penalties. It has been great to see and this playoff run actually feels different.
Tonight, Game 4 goes down in Ottawa and it is an opportunity for the Maple Leafs to end this series once and for all.
Unfortunately, for the Leafs, the Senators will be extremely motivated to make sure that doesn’t happen. With that being said, the Leafs must put their best foot forward and stay out of the box.
If they can get some scoring from Auston Matthews and, of course, Matthew Knies, this could be a sure victory.