Toronto’s Mitch Marner may have spent his summer on the lake, but it appears he’s still working on his dives.
With a delayed penalty coming up to the Maple Leafs’ Alex Steeves for tripping, Montreal rushed up ice. Habs blueliner Mike Matheson attempted to clear some space for Christian Dvorak, setting a pick and making contact with Marner in the neutral zone.
Matheson was whistled for interference by referee Garrett Rank, who also sent Marner off for embellishment.
NHL Hockey Operations issues a warning for the first dive/embellishment of the season, with the second incident resulting in a $2,000 fine. Their assessment comes via post-game video review, and may not necessarily align with the call on the ice.
No word if Marner received a warning for this play. We’ll have to wait until he does it again.
Referees for the game were Garrett Rank (#7) and Justin Kea (#44); linesmen were Ryan Daisy (#81) and Mark Shewchyk (#92).