It took a while for Toronto to find its fury after losing the captain to a knee injury, which is not out of character for this team.<\/p>\n
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Published Mar 13, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n It seems the Maple\u00a0Leafs\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0even win right.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The satisfaction of ending an eight-game losing streak on Thursday, 6-4 over the very deep Anaheim Ducks<\/a>, was overshadowed by Auston Matthews suffering a deliberate knee injury<\/a> of unknown severity.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n How that unfolded, with known-aggressor Radko Gudas<\/a> sticking out his left leg into Matthews five minutes after the captain broke his 12-game personal goal slump, was compounded by Gudas skating to the penalty box untouched by the four other Leafs on the ice, other than to chirp.<\/p>\n Gudas was to have a phone hearing with the National Hockey League\u2019s department of player safety<\/a> on Friday. The Leafs had the day off and an update on Matthews likely won\u2019t come until Saturday before they play in Buffalo.<\/p>\n DNA, DO NOT ANTAGONIZE<\/p>\n Toronto coach Craig Berube, a known enforcer in his playing days, was quite blunt after Thursday about his team\u2019s tepid response to the incident.<\/p>\n We apologize, but this video has failed to load.<\/p>\n Play Video<\/p>\n \u201cWe should\u2019ve\u00a0had four guys in there doing something about it, but it didn\u2019t happen then,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a dirty play.\u201d<\/p>\n Alternate captain Morgan Rielly tried to take the lion\u2019s share of the blame, claiming not to have seen how nefarious the hit was from his angle, agreeing Gudas should\u2019ve faced immediate frontier justice.<\/p>\n Your Midday Sun<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Rielly on Gudas hit on Matthews: \u201cI take full responsibility for not being the first one in there.\u201d #Leafs<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Terry Koshan \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@koshtorontosun) March 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n But should anyone really be shocked that Rielly, William Nylander, Brandon Carlo and Easton Cowan, the quartet on the ice, didn\u2019t fly off the handle? It\u2019s no secret such a muted reply is still very much in the Leafs\u2019 DNA, especially surviving Core Four members Rielly and Nylander.<\/p>\n That\u2019s\u00a0despite general manager Brad Treliving\u2019s\u00a0attempts to toughen their\u00a0fabric for\u00a0playoffs\u00a0(spoiler\u00a0alert,\u00a0Maple Leaf Square\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0be cluttered next month for any watch parties).<\/p>\n Carlo is a big defenceman, but inclined to use his size strictly for tactics, not to terrorize. Meanwhile, two players supposed to give the Leafs some snarl, Dakota Joshua<\/a> and Steven Lorentz, had played their way out of the lineup before Thursday when the team\u2019s spiral reached 0-6-2.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n When the Leafs did get their dander up against the Ducks for the hit, by most accounts it was a fiery Berube speech in the second intermission and individual accountability.<\/p>\n \u201cTo play hard,\u00a0yeah,\u00a0but not like a bunch of idiots,\u201d\u00a0is how\u00a0Rielly\u00a0explained\u00a0the\u00a0mood.<\/p>\n Significantly it was new blood making noise all night for Toronto: Michael Pezzetta with a fight at the opening faceoff of his debut and rookie Cowan later coming to Nick Robertson\u2019s defence in the third period by dropping the gloves.<\/p>\n Rielly did try to atone for letting Gudas off the hook with Anaheim\u2019s instigator Jeffrey Viel, while Max Domi \u2014 in some kind of personal feud with Anaheim\u2019s Beckett Sennecke \u2014 served 14 minutes in all.<\/p>\n Jake McCabe, who jumped Montreal\u2019s Brendan Gallagher the game before for a clean hit on Cowan, was wrestling Viel at the final horn.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n MAKE \u2018EM PAY ANOTHER WAY<\/p>\n Overall, the old Kyle Dubas credo still pervades on the Leafs when the opposition gets nasty. Instead of elbows up, it\u2019s turn the other cheek and get revenge on the power play.<\/p>\n That was the outcome Thursday, intentional or not. Toronto let Gudas\u2019s five-minute major run its full course without being undercut by retaliation crowding their side of the penalty box.<\/p>\n The Matthews goal was from an earlier penalty he had drawn, while Nylander and John Tavares fueled the four-goal comeback, netting two during Gudas\u2019 sentence.<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n LEAFS TAKEAWAYS: Channelling anger in right direction pays off in win over Ducks<\/p>\n![\"Maple](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/0314-auston-matthews-leafs-radko-gudas-ducks.jpg\")
Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews (34) lies on the ice after getting injured by Anaheim Ducks defenceman Radko Gudas. The Canadian PressArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.7.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tsun.svg\"){kind=logo}
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