The Toronto Maple Leafs had the game in their hands but a costly mistake by defenseman Darren Raddysh let to the Utah Mammoth go on the power play and score the game-winning goal. The Leafs' 3-2 loss came at a terrible time and head coach Jim Hiller did not hold back when talking about how boneheaded a decision Raddysh made.
The Maple Leafs just tied the game after Jack Roslovic scored his second goal of the night and eighth on the season. Just several minutes were left on the clock and for a fairly back-and-forth game, it felt like Toronto deserved at least one point. Unfortunately, Raddysh had other plans.
Darren Raddysh cost the Leafs the game, and Jim Hiller responded
Behind the play in the Leafs' own zone, the 30-year-old defenseman got booked with a penalty after a very emotional cross-check on Mammoth forward Barrett Hayton.
Darren Raddysh gets a penalty after a physical altercation with Barrett Hayton.#Leafs pic.twitter.com/Lufpm6wsvN
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 4, 2026
This was as away from the puck as possible. He was just tangled up with Hayton and instead of just going their separate ways, Raddysh got physical and was booked for a penalty. And of course, on the ensuing power play, Utah managed to score to make it 3-2 and the game stayed right there.
While blame can be cast in a lot of different directions, the fact that Raddysh decided to make that brutal mistake and do it so egregiously is the error.
After the loss, Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller did not mince his words when it came to that moment in the game and why the ending happened like that.
"It took a long time for us to get going, no question. Bob kept us in it, and then the stupid penalty — let’s call it what it is — cost us," Hiller told reporters postgame. "I thought we had all the momentum, and it didn’t turn out very well for us."
You won't see a head coach call out one single play "costing" them the game very often, but here it is in black and white. Raddysh cost the Leafs one, and possibly two points right there.
Hiller was then asked if he will address the mistake with Raddysh.
"I think he knows pretty clearly. I haven’t seen that happen over and over again. It’s a one-off, I guess, in his case. He’s clear," Hiller said. "I think he said he didn’t like the penalty he took himself. He understands that. That’s hockey. I think we all [understand]."
It's fair to just say that the sport has these moments of emotions taking over and you get penalized for it, but in such a dire situation, the No. 1 defenseman has to have a bit of a clearer mind to not put your team down like that.
Especially considering how desperate the Leafs are for a string of success. After a mediocre road trip where they couldn't get points from teams that they should have won over, the Leafs could've used a nice and tidy win over a good Mammoth squad. Instead, they undo the result themselves and shoot themselves in the foot.
Now we'll have to sit with this mistake for the rest of the week. The Leafs next play in a back-to-back this weekend against the Canadiens and the Devils on Saturday and Sunday. There's going to be a whole lot of talk about that one single penalty from Raddysh.
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