The Toronto Maple Leafs were defeated by the Calgary Flames, losing a 5-2 final score in what was their final appearance at the Scotiabank Saddledome – certainly not how they wanted to remember their last game at the historic venue.
And it was young Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan who shouldered the responsibility for a costly turnover that resulted in Calgary’s second goal of the game in the first period.
Toronto Maple Leafs Forward Easton Cowan Accepted Responsibility For His Turnover
Following the game, forward Easton Cowan, who committed the turnover that led to a goal from Flames captain Mikael Backlund, shouldered the miscue.
“Bad turnover and dumb penalty by me,” Cowan said after the game. “Those two goals are on me. I got to be better. I cost the team.”
However, head coach Jim Hiller didn’t necessarily see it that way.
“He made a couple mistakes, but no, there’s no singular person that is going to take the blame for this loss,” Hiller said. “That was up and down the lineup. We turned it over too much, and then we didn’t defend great once we did.
He made mistakes, and I commend him for taking responsibility. But he didn’t cost us the game.”
As far as how Cowan played afterward, which included scoring a goal, Hiller had nothing but positive things to say.
“He probably was our best player after the first period, right?” Hiller said. “But we need that from the start, and it’s hard to lean on Easton all the time, right? We’ve talked about him a lot, and there’s other players in the lineup that need to step up as well, not just the youngest or the second youngest guy out there.”
“He gets a pass. He’s worked hard. He came back, and he redeemed himself. That’s the least of my concerns.”
The Maple Leafs Lost By A 5-2 Final Score To The Flames
Despite goals from William Nylander and Cowan, the Flames were bested by the Flames, who are suddenly red hot after a miserable start to the season.
Calgary got two goals from Matvei Gridin, along with tallies from Backlund, Joel Farabee and Martin Pospisil.
Maple Leafs’ Easton Cowan Accepts Major Responsibility