Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller has accepted responsibility for Gavin McKenna’s limited ice time in Thursday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
The NHL rookie played just 6:36 and did not return after the 10:20 mark of the second period. McKenna remained on the bench through the rest of regulation and overtime.
Hiller explained that penalties disrupted the forward’s playing time. However, the coach admitted he should have handled the situation differently.
“That was my decision,” Hiller told reporters after the game. “… We went for a stretch – had those penalties. Wanted to get him out there. He sat for so long and he sits through the intermission. Probably should’ve gotten him out at the start of the third. I’ll talk to him about that.”
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The coach also acknowledged that McKenna had gone roughly 30 minutes without playing. He ultimately decided against putting the rookie back into the game after such a long break.
“The big thing is the penalties,” Hiller explained. “He doesn’t get to play, we get into the [intermission], now he hasn’t played for 30 some odd minutes. We talked about getting him out in the third & then I guess it didn’t just happen, but that’s on me.”
Maple Leafs pay for costly third-period collapse
Hiller’s decision became a talking point as Toronto surrendered a two-goal lead before losing in overtime. Kirill Marchenko scored a hat trick, including a goal that gave Toronto a 4-2 advantage late in the second period. However, Buffalo responded with two goals in the third to force overtime.
Dennis Gilbert and Mattias Samuelsson scored during the comeback, while Owen Power delivered the winning goal at 3:14 of overtime. The Maple Leafs also lost John Tavares to an injury early in the third period after he collided with Buffalo forward Josh Norris.
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Toronto’s collapse raised questions about its late-game decisions, including Hiller’s choice to rely on a limited group of players. McKenna’s absence stood out because he never returned despite the game extending into overtime. Hiller accepted responsibility and is going to speak with the rookie about the situation.
His comments suggest the decision was driven by the game’s circumstances rather than a disciplinary measure against McKenna. Still, Toronto will need better bench management after letting a promising position turn into a damaging defeat.
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