Yahoo Sports 'I Just Lost 100 Bucks': Maple Leafs' Simon Benoit Loses Bet With Jake McCabe On Which Defenseman Will Score First This Season
When Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit left Scotiabank Arena on Saturday after their 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins, he was without $100.
The 26-year-old said before the second half of their back-to-back against the Flyers, that he and Jake McCabe had a running bet on which defenseman would score first this season.
McCabe scored Toronto's first goal on Saturday night against the Bruins after a great pass by Mitch Marner.
JAKE MCCABE 🚨
The blueline strikes! What a goal! pic.twitter.com/z6HSDEHIN1— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 5, 2025
"I just lost 100 bucks yesterday," Benoit smiled.
McCabe's goal was not only his first of the year, but also the eighth from Maple Leafs defensemen this season. (Toronto's goals on defense have come from Morgan Rielly, with four, and McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Chris Tanev, and Conor Timmins each with one.)
After their win against Boston, the veteran defender admitted that it's nice to get the "monkey off the back" but that the defense isn't focused on scoring. He added that it's not even a discussion amongst the defense core.
"We're not worried about scoring goals. We're worried about winning hockey games and that's keeping the puck out of our net," McCabe said on Saturday night.
"You keep the goals down in this league and we got enough guys in this room that can score so obviously it's nice to contribute when we do, but that's not our priority."
Benoit, who's appeared in 38 of 40 games this season with Toronto, agreed with McCabe's sentiment.
"When we can contribute, it's always fun," said the Laval, Quebec native. "We know we have, especially me, like I have a stay-at-home job, right? I need to just focus on not getting scored on. When we can contribute on that part offensively, it's always fun."
After Sunday night's game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Maple Leafs will be midway through their season. They're currently two points ahead of the Florida Panthers for first in the Atlantic Division and have won seven of their last 10 games.
For the most part, Toronto's season has been strong. However, with every team, there's always something to work on. For the Maple Leafs, it's rush defense, according to head coach Craig Berube.
"I think that's always a concern for every team, though. It's such a fast league and teams transition so quick and the D are always up in the play," said Berube on Sunday morning.
"I think there's a lot of times where we can manage the puck better and not give opportunities to teams the other way. We're getting better at it, trust me. Like, I think our team's bought into putting the puck deep and going to work. But there's still improvement that can be made."
There are no lineup changes for the Maple Leafs ahead of their game on Sunday against the Flyers. Dennis Hildeby will make his fourth start of the season for Toronto after coming back up from the AHL on Dec. 30.
"He's still a young guy and learning, but he's battled for us when he's been in there this year," Berube said. "He plays with confidence. Great size in net. So, I mean, again, he's still learning. But he's learning in the NHL right now.
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