Gavin McKenna benched for the first time as a Leaf and his coach speaks out
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Gavin McKenna watched the final half of Thursday's game against the Buffalo Sabres from the bench, and Maple Leafs fans want answers.
Toronto lost 5-4 in overtime at Scotiabank Arena, and the first overall pick never touched the ice after the 10:20 mark of the second period.
It was the first time the 18-year-old has been parked for a stretch like this since joining the club. He finished with a season-low 6:36 across nine shifts, a surprising total for a rookie riding a four-game point streak.
Hiller Takes the Blame
Head coach Jim Hiller did not hide from it after the game. He owned the call and walked through his thinking:
You know what? That was my decision. We went for a stretch. I think we had those penalties. I wanted to get him out there. He sat through the penalties, and then I didn't get him out there. You know, through that stretch, and then in the last few minutes of the period, we're just trying to, you know, get out of the period. I guess you would say. And then now, as I've sat him for so long, and he sits in the intermission, so I probably should have got him out there early in the third. I didn't. So I'll talk to him about that.
The timing is what stings. McKenna's last shift came before a run of Toronto penalties, and he is not on the penalty kill, so he stayed put.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Morgan Rielly both went to the box before the period ended, and a Buffalo minor then forced 4-on-4 play.
Why the Third Period Matters
Toronto opened the third up 4-2, then watched Buffalo rally to tie it before Owen Power won it in overtime. Kirill Marchenko recorded a hat trick in the loss, which made the result even harder to swallow.
Hiller admitted fault, and Toronto has to move on quickly. How he deploys McKenna in the next game will show whether this was a one-night slip or a shift in the rookie's role.
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