Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann thinks the Maple Leafs played a step behind the Boston Bruins on Saturday night, and it cost them in a big way.
McMann spoke to the media postgame, and was asked about where he felt the team went wrong in their 5-3 defeat to the Bruins.
“I think our neutral zone was a big one that we can clean up,” McMann said. “I think we could have played faster, moving pucks quicker, getting to spots quicker. It was kind of all guys on the ice trying to get open, trying to be available to move the puck up quick, and get it in behind. I think we were getting stalled out in the middle.”
The sluggish Maple Leafs were sloppy in all three zones against the Bruins, and it all started with some costly turnovers in front of their own net which helped get the Bruins back into the game early on in the first period. From there, Toronto didn’t ever clean up their game entirely, and it was too little too late in the third period.
McMann finished the night playing just 10:54 of ice-time, thanks in large part to sitting for five minutes after sticking up for teammate Scott Laughton. Laughton was rocked in the second period by Bruins’ towering defenceman Nikita Zadorov, and even though McMann didn’t see all of the hit, he knew he had to take matters into his own hands.
“I didn’t really see the whole thing, just caught it out of the corner of my eye,” McMann said of the alteraction. “Didn’t really love the hit, from I guess what I saw, but, caught it out of the corner, and wanted to make sure that he knew that I didn’t like it. Yeah, that guy, it sucks, you hate that side of the game. I was hoping he was back in the game, but unfortunately, that’s the tough part of it. I hope he’s back soon.”
Bobby McMann goes at it with Nikita Zadorov after a hit on Scott Laughton 👊 pic.twitter.com/NA2SHcI1ST
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 9, 2025
McMann held his own against the much larger Zadorov, who doesn’t normally get challenged on the ice. McMann was just doing what he felt was the right thing to do, regardless of who was on the other side of the hit.
“Yeah, it’s part of the game, I obviously went at him, it’s part of it, and just got to get into it.”
McMann and the Maple Leafs look to get back on track Sunday, as they’ll host the Carolina Hurricanes in the second half of their back to back.
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