William Nylander reacts after a controversial hit on John Tavares in the Maple Leafs’ game 1 victory

Key Highlights
- According to the review, the cross-check by Ridly Greig on John Tavares led only to a minor instead of a major penalty
- William Nylander reacted to the incident post-game, stating that the contact was part of the game
- The Toronto Maple Leafs capitalized on special teams to win Game 1 against the Ottawa Senators
By the looks of it, Toronto began its postseason very intensely, with physical action attached to some controversy. In their first playoff clash, the Maple Leafs won 6-2 over the Ottawa Senators. But while everything was celebratory, there was a major debate surrounding Ridly Greig hitting team captain John Tavares in the second period. The Tavares injury fortunately was not too serious, and he put on a brilliant performance, but the cutting down of Greig's penalty did not sit easy with supporters and players alike.

Even though he didn't see it all unfold, William Nylander, Tavares' linemate and a major factor in the Toronto offense, was asked in the post of the game about the incident. Although he completely garbled the hit with his, he acknowledged the seriousness of it and would leave it at that. The subtle response would resonate with that of a team that is trying to stay focused on the larger prizes.

For Tavares, there was little evidence of shriveling, with a resultant bounce back that would earn him a crucial power-play goal not many minutes after the blow and turned out to be the game-winner. The Toronto base attached its core on Tavares, who added another with an assist and recorded six shots and three hits. Nylander also had his significant input: a goal and an assist in the second period of a dominating power play.

Craig Berube, the coach of the Leafs, commended the discipline and execution of top players, especially as Ottawa found itself struggling to stay out of the penalty box. The totality of 38 penalty minutes and several infractions of key Senators, such as Tim Stützle and Drake Batherson, without discipline, presented just further opportunities for Toronto on special teams.
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The Maple Leafs now lead the series 1-0, and controversy in their midst is the setting for their beginning. Toronto, led by John Tavares and William Nylander by example, will attempt to carry that momentum and discipline into Game 2.