Michael Bunting pleaded his case.
The NHL鈥檚 Department of Player Safety then handed down its verdict.
The Toronto Maple Leafs winger has been suspended for the next three games of his team鈥檚 first-round playoff matchup with Tampa Bay after delivering an illegal check to the head on Lightning defenceman Erik Cernak in the series opener.
The incident occurred with 4:20 remaining in Tuesday鈥檚 second period when Bunting clipped his unsuspecting opponent up high as he went to battle for the puck.
Cernak fell backwards to the ice and needed help getting to the locker room. He did not return to the bench in Tampa鈥檚 resounding 7-3 victory.
Bunting, who plays on the Leafs鈥� top line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, received a match penalty and a game misconduct.
The Toronto native had 23 goals and 49 points in 82 regular-season games in 2022-23.
Cernak, meanwhile, was fourth in ice time among Lightning defencemen, averaging 19 minutes 14 seconds.
Leafs blue-liner Mark Giordano said before the suspension was announced that Bunting didn鈥檛 intend to injure Cernak.
鈥淭hose two guys have played each other a long time, and they play each other hard,鈥� the veteran defender said following Wednesday鈥檚 practice. 鈥�(Bunting鈥檚) thinking both guys are going to sort of engage shoulder-to-shoulder, but unfortunately their guy wasn鈥檛 really in that mode of engaging, and he got hit.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think Bunts really even looked at him. It was just one of those plays where you know who you鈥檙e playing against, and the guy knows he鈥檚 going to come at you hard. He was trying to just go shoulder-to-shoulder, get some separation, and it ended up in that.鈥�
Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke earlier Wednesday about Bunting鈥檚 value to his roster.
鈥淎 guy that plays with our top players and has ability to score goals for us, plays with lots of energy,鈥� Keefe said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 come to be an important part of our team.鈥�
And then he calmly put on his amateur psychologist鈥檚 hat in the wake of a disastrous playoff opening.
Toronto not only fell flat in Game 1 of its first-round series with the battle-tested Lightning 鈥� Keefe鈥檚 team looked like a shadow of its 111-point regular-season self in an embarrassing 7-3 loss on home ice.
Instead of the connected, committed, offensively talented and defensively responsible group that finished fourth in the NHL鈥檚 overall standings, the Leafs were a timid, unsure, sloppy bunch on a humbling, worrying Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 feel good about the effort or results,鈥� Keefe said. 鈥淏ut you brush yourself off and get back to work.鈥�
It was only one game, the coach and his players stressed, but their opponent has also made the Stanley Cup final three years in a row, including victories in 2020 and 2021, and topped Toronto in a razor-thin, best-of-seven matchup at the same stage last spring.
The margin for error on a team without a series victory since 2004 has already drastically shrunk.
鈥淚mportant to get on the ice and be together as a group,鈥� Keefe said following Wednesday鈥檚 brief practice. 鈥淭here鈥檚 adjustments always to be made, but when your frame of mind changes a lot of things snap back into place.
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 anywhere near ourselves.鈥�
That was certainly the case, especially in front of goaltender Ilya Samsonov, who also struggled in the spotlight.
鈥淥ur urgency has to go way, way higher,鈥� Giordano said. 鈥淔or whatever reason, we were just a step off, and it felt that way all night.
鈥淧lay with confidence, play with that swagger that we鈥檝e had all year.鈥�
Booed off the ice by the home fans at both intermissions and again at the final buzzer, the Leafs were down 3-0 after the first period thanks to two turnovers and a power-play goal against.
There was a brief surge in the second that saw Toronto score twice on the man advantage, but discipline and some curious officiating decisions opened the door for Tampa to score four more times, including an additional two on the power play, for the comfortable victory.
鈥淭oo many penalties,鈥� said Marner, the setup man on all three of his team鈥檚 goals. 鈥淟etting that power play get rolling is a bad thing to do. We gotta protect our net better.
鈥淲asn鈥檛 the start we wanted. That鈥檚 something that we鈥檝e really tried to emphasize this year, getting on our toes to start games. We didn鈥檛 do that.鈥�
Tampa, meanwhile, showed there鈥檚 still plenty of gas left in the tank after a disappointing end to its regular season.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think anything surprised us,鈥� Giordano said. 鈥淲e know what type of team they are. We had some bad, bad moments in the game individually and collectively.鈥�
Keefe pointed out it wasn鈥檛 so much about his team鈥檚 structure. It was about understanding the gravity of the situation in the moment.
鈥淲e were tentative, we were on our heels,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 really not where we are or who we are, and that鈥檚 certainly not how we鈥檝e played for the last chunk of time.鈥�
Keefe has also seen his group respond all year.
鈥淲e鈥檝e bounced back really well when we haven鈥檛 been ourselves,鈥� Keefe said. 鈥淭he emotions go both ways in a playoff series. It鈥檚 about us just regrouping, refocusing here, and understand the importance of (Thursday鈥檚) game.
鈥淎nd have an effort that reflects that.鈥�
LIMPING LIGHTNING
Tampa head coach Jon Cooper updated the status of three players who left Tuesday鈥檚 game with undisclosed injuries, including minute-crunching defencemen Victor Hedman and Cernak.
Hedman could be available for Game 2, but Cernak won鈥檛 play. Cooper added centre Michael Eyssimont, who took a big hit from Jake McCabe, and also won鈥檛 dress in Game 2.
The Lightning could get a lineup boost from Tanner Jeannot as he recovers from a leg injury suffered earlier this month.
鈥淔eeling good,鈥� said the forward. 鈥淲orking hard at getting back as quick as possible.鈥�
KNIES ON THE RISE?
With the Leafs minus Bunting until a potential Game 5, rookie forward Matthew Knies could draw into the lineup.
The 20-year-old, who signed with Toronto at the conclusion of his NCAA season, skated with Ryan O鈥橰eilly and Noel Acciari on Wednesday.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have a guy with such experience,鈥� Knies said of O鈥橰eilly. 鈥淰aluable information for me.鈥�
Keefe wouldn鈥檛 tip his hand on any lineup decisions, but might also go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a great option for us,鈥� the coach said of Knies, who has three NHL regular-season games under his belt. 鈥淗e鈥檚 taken care of all that he can do in the short amount of time he鈥檚 been here.鈥�
Calle Jarnkrok skated in Bunting鈥檚 spot on Toronto鈥檚 top line with Marner and Auston Matthews at practice.
鈥淵ou win, you lose, it鈥檚 gotta go in the trash can right away,鈥� Jarnkrok said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be ready to roll.鈥�
SAMSONOV STARTS
One confirmed roster lock was that Samsonov will get the nod in Game 2 after allowing six goals on 29 shots before getting the hook in favour of rookie Joseph Woll.
鈥淗e wanted to get on the ice,鈥� Keefe said. 鈥淗e was sending a message to the team about how focused he is 鈥� looks ready to get back at it.鈥�
