Coach Berube explained that his team dealt with the unnerving injury and its aftermath the best they could. However, what puzzled him was the lack of any calls after Sam Bennett hit Anthony Stolarz while trying to score a goal. Panthers’ players and Leafs defensemen crowded the front of the net when it happened. But the coach took a dig at the referee and the linesmen’s awareness.

“I get it, they miss calls, but it’s clearly a penalty,” the Toronto Maple Leafs coach said. The massive hit floored Stolarz and flicked the stick out of his fans. While the Leafs acted quickly, pulling their netminder off the ice, things only got worse. Stolarz didn’t return to the game in the third period. “Right now, he’s being evaluated. That’s all I got for you guys,” the coach said in response to the inevitable during the post-game interview.

Yet, the coach didn’t want to say too much about Stolarz’s condition. “I wouldn’t keep commenting on it,” added the coach. Why this caution, you ask? Well, it could be because the injury turned out to be far worse than it initially looked. The Leafs may have planned to put their starting netminder back in front of the net later in the game after he recovered from the blow, but things went south.

Footage of the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender vomiting over at the Leafs’ bench sparked concern from concussion experts like Chris Nowinski. Things only got worse for the NHL goaltender because he went out of Scotiabank Arena on a stretcher. “This is not good. Sending prayers. This is precisely why, at @ConcussionLF (Concussion Legacy Foundation), we continue to pressure the NHL to do better,” said the neuroscientist.

Concussion/traumatic brain injury is far more serious than anyone wants to talk about,” added Chris Nowinski. So it’s not surprising that Craig Berube didn’t veil his criticism of the officials. What’s more? Such missed calls have already plagued the 2025 NHL playoffs in the very first round.

First Tampa Bay and now the Toronto Maple Leafs

Talking about referees missing calls, it already happened, and guess what? A Florida Panthers player was involved. Yes, we are talking about none other than Aaron Ekblad, who hit Tampa Bay Lightning’s Brandon Hagel with a high elbow to the head during their Round 1 series. Despite the hit coming at a time when Hegel had already passed the puck, the officials failed to notice it.

The result? Brandon Hagel skated off the ice and didn’t return for the rest of the game. So it’s clear that both incidents share a lot of similarities. While Sam Bennett’s hit on the Toronto Maple Leafs happened during a scramble for the puck, that doesn’t mean the NHL won’t penalize the Panthers player. That’s because they did punish defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

The NHL Player Safety handed the Panthers star a two-game suspension for the hit. “This is a direct blow to an opponent’s head with an extended elbow,” said the NHL Player Safety in their ruling. So there’s a very real chance that Bennett could also face the music, especially in light of the severe symptoms Stolarz exhibited after the hit.

Will he also receive a two-game suspension for hitting the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie? While that’s something that’s up to the league, Panthers coach Paul Maurice is focusing on moving forward. “You (media) will do your thing, the League will do its thing and I’ll coach the next game… Hopefully… You never know after that start,” said Coach Maurice after the game. So now only time will tell what happens next.