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Florida Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice Speaks Out After Being Accused of Tanking
Photo credit: Imagn Images
Paul Maurice and the Florida Panthers have been accused of tanking in a scheme that would put the Toronto Maple Leafs at a disadvantage in the playoffs.
The Florida Panthers are an exceptional hockey team, however, after losing numerous games in a row in the midst of the Atlantic Division title fight, some fans are feeling a bit conspiratorial.
In the midst of their losing streak, the Ottawa Senators came within two points of the Panthers, which would mean the Leafs win the Atlantic but play the Panthers as a Wild Card.
This would be disadvantageous for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and some believe that the Panthers have been tanking on purpose. Paul Bissonnette was one of the first to peddle this conspiracy.
Paul Maurice talks Florida Panthers tanking allegations
However, today, Paul Maurice spoke to the media where he addressed this damaging narrative around his team.
He noted that the team is just going through a lot of injuries right now and this has led to a depleted lineup which typically leads to less wins.
"You always want every advantage that you can possibly get, home ice and all that. But we gotta heal some of these guys, and we've got to give ourselves a chance to be physically right when it starts. And our schedule won't allow it: five sets of back-to-back in the last month of the season. So, we're gonna get stacked up on. We knew it. We're not really resting guys; we're just healing them."
For tonight's game against the Leafs, the Panthers brought back Gustav Forsling, Sam Reinhart, and Aleksander Barkov.
This proved to be killer for the Leafs as they lost to the Panthers tonight by a score of 3-1, thus ending the narrative that the Panthers wanted to cheat.
It was a bad game for the Leafs who had no offense throughout the game, which is a pretty big problem.
Now, the Leafs must figure things out and show fans that they can beat the best teams in the league when they are full strength.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 8 | 173 ANSWERS Florida Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice Speaks Out After Being Accused of Tanking Do you believe the Florida Panthers would beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in a seven game series? | ||
| YES | 58 | 33.5 % |
| NO | 115 | 66.5 % |
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