In the wake of last night’s 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers, the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves with an 0-9 record in games refereed by Wes McCauley, and now 0-2 in this playoff run. With the defeat, the Leafs now face a daunting 3-0 deficit in their second-round playoff series against the Panthers. In Game 3, the Maple Leafs were not awarded any powerplays, while the Panthers capitalized on one of their two opportunities.
Despite the loss, the game’s statistics were relatively even, with the Panthers outshooting the Leafs 29-24 and both teams recording 26 hits. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe, aware of the team’s struggles with McCauley as a referee, attempted to downplay the situation before Game 3. Keefe said, “Officials don’t have any impact on the game and it’s not my focus. Wes has treated me like a true professional the whole time that I’ve been in this league and I’ve been very appreciative of that.”
Keefe’s efforts to remain professional and prepare his team for Game 3 were ultimately not enough to secure a victory. The Maple Leafs now face a do-or-die scenario as they must win four consecutive games to avoid elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs
Keefe and McCauley have a difficult history, one that involved McCauley’s brother in law David Frost, and a court case in 2008 where Keefe reportedly testified against Frost during a case about sexually exploiting young players, but it is not confirmed for which side Keefe testified as the records of the case are sealed, bu there’s certainly a weird history and a lot of stuff the public doesn’t know. Leafs Wes McCauley
