NHL Player Safety rules on Eetu Luostarinen's hit from behind on Scott Laughton

Last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs came away with a truly impressive win over the Florida Panthers, by a score of 4-1. It was the kind of win that makes a statement and asserts some dominance in the process.

Having said that, the Maple Leafs aren't entirely happy with how everything went down last night, especially in light of the hit from behind by Eetu Luostarinen on Scott Laughton.

Fans felt like the hit was a dirty one. It should have been a penalty, and Laughton certainly agrees, as he noted that this is a textbook call.

Today, there was a hope from Leafs fans that NHL Player Safety might take a second look at this hit and rule on it in an appropriate way, either with a fine or a suspension.

In the end, Maple Leafs fans are going to be extremely disappointed with the outcome. Quite frankly, it doesn't even seem like the incident was a consideration by the league.

There were no announcements made this morning, and now that the 5 PM deadline has passed, it has become clear that Luostarinen is getting off scot-free.

For the Maple Leafs, this shouldn't be that much of a surprise. The referees refused to call it, and the hit isn't egregious enough to warrant a look by the league.

However, that does not mean that fans are going to roll over and accept this. At the end of the day, this is what it means to be a fan.

At the end of the day, the Leafs are just going to have to focus on their next game, which goes down on Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.

With the Leafs two points out of a playoff spot, this could be their opportunity to finally make up some ground in the standings.

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Scott Laughton sends a direct message to the referees and NHL Player Safety