Bertuzzi accidentally costs Matthews the game-tying goal vs Devils

Last night's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils left a lot to be desired from the Leafs. Not only did the Buds lose on home ice, they allowed the Devils to come into Scotiabank Arena and hang 6 goals on them in a 6-3 loss in a game that they should have won.

Due to a sloppy and careless effort for most of the game, combined with a standout performance from Devils netminder Jake Allen, the Leafs came up short, but not for a lack of trying. The Leafs put up 45 shots on Allen in the contest, including 25 in the first period alone, including quite a few high-danger chances, with the veteran netminder standing tall. Perhaps none were more dangerous than this attempt by both Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi, though.


During a late push to tie the game, Max Domi found the puck with some time and space behind the Devils' net and tried to feet a wide open Auston Matthews out front for the tap in. However, Bertuzzi had mis-read the play, getting his stick on the puck first and tried to direct it towards the Devils' net while also fanning on the shot, allowing Allen to make the easy pad save.


The goal would have been Matthews' 60th of the season, which would have tied a career-high, set back in 2021-22. Obviously, everyone is still expecting Matthews to get there with 11 games remaining, but in a game that tight, perhaps Bertuzzi should have had some better awareness, recognizing where Matthews was before sliding in and getting his stick on the puck. The better option there would have been to simply allow Matthews to fire it on net and, if he missed, step in to try to bang in the rebound. Lesson learned, I suppose.