‘I didn’t like it’: Jake McCabe scare casts a shadow over Maple Leafs’ winning streak

TORONTO – How quickly the mood changed.

Punches were thrown. The bodies fell. The crowd roared.

These are the newly reformed Leafs sticking up for each other, and the locals love the organic fights.

But when McCabe slowly recovered on the ice (helmet askew, visor as foggy as a Jetta windshield in January) and tried to get up, the defenseman stumbled like a downed boxer. Morgan Rielly quickly protected his teammate’s head from falling.

Whether McCabe was dazed by a punch, hitting the ice, or Hathaway squeezing an extra knee after the ordeal doesn’t matter as much as his future health.

Just as Toronto’s 3-2 overtime win over the Philadelphia Flyers in transition is less of a concern than the availability of half of the club’s top tight pair.

“I didn’t like it. I didn’t like what I saw,” coach Craig Berube said. “He is defending his team and his teammate. We all appreciate it very much. But I don’t like that to happen.

“It’s worrying, for sure.”

Although McCabe eventually skated carefully off the ice under his own power, he did not return to the game due to what the team calls an “upper body” injury.

When McCabe took a puck to the head and was sidelined for 11 days in December, it was also an “upper body” injury.

He will undergo further evaluation on Monday, but the thought of suffering two head injuries in a span of 36 days is difficult to swallow for an important player and an important season.

“Yes, it’s difficult. I mean, we all know what kind of person and player he is. And he defends his teammates and friends, so it’s hard to see him go down like that,” Oliver Ekman-Larsson said. “I hope he’s okay.”

If there’s a silver lining to this scary sight, it’s that the Atlantic-leading Maple Leafs continue to demonstrate their ability to rack up wins no matter who makes it to IR.

Despite looking like a team playing shorthanded and in the slow half of a back-to-back, Toronto stuck to a patient plan in what Matthew Knies politely described as an “uneventful” game.

The Leafs blocked 17 shots, clogged the neutral zone like Ontario’s sinuses and waited long enough for Auston Matthews to feed a streaking Rielly for the overtime winner.

“It feels good. I think we played well within the structure,” Rielly said.

“You just try to stay focused. Obviously, that’s your teammate. You want the best for him. But I think he would like our guys to stay focused and stay in the game.”

The Leafs’ ability to overcome close games and injury issues has been their calling card during this four-game winning streak and their 54-point first half of the season.

They will have to continue to find ways to win with their depth as they embark on this week’s mentoring trip to Philadelphia and Carolina with McCabe’s health in question.

Knies is delighted with his guest, his older brother Phillip, who was playing in a Slovak league in 2022-23. And Matthews treated the crowd to Joe Thornton, who was all smiles as he walked into his old SBA dressing room after the win.

“He’s pretty close to a lot of these guys that play here and stuff. So it’s great to have him with us,” Berube smiled.

“It’s great for those (mentors), because they love it. They love being in meetings and listening to us talk and showing videos. So, it is a special trip.”

It will be that much more special if the Maple Leafs hear good news about McCabe.

• Smart decision by the Leafs to switch from a rather rusty-looking Matt Murray to the prospect of Hildeby starting these back-to-backs.

Hildeby admitted to having “a rough start” by allowing Tyson Foerster to beat his blocker from distance at the 3:24 mark. But he settled down and stopped 31 of 33 shots.

“Big part of the victory,” Berube said.

Meanwhile, on the farm, Murray allowed 3-of-23 shooting in a loss to the Cleveland Monsters.

The only drawback of Hildeby’s call? It was too late to invite anyone on this week’s road trip.

“I’m my own mentor,” he joked with a smile.

• Knies total goals…

• McCabe and fellow Bash Brother Simon Benoit made a bet on which of them would ultimately score a goal this season. McCabe took a beauty on Saturday in the victory over Boston and celebrated him as a richer man.

“Yesterday I lost $100,” Benoit revealed to reporters Sunday morning. “When we can contribute offensively, it’s always fun.”

Don’t look now, but three Leafs defensemen scored over the weekend.

• I walked to the dance floor excited to see Matvei Michkov live for the first time. He barely noticed he was dressed, except for a creative pass over the net that went nowhere. His stats: zero points, two shots, minus-1 in 14 minutes. Shrug.

The Flyers’ Calder candidate has cooled off immediately: one goal and a rating of 11 in his last 13 games.

• Brad Treliving would prefer to trade for a center with a deadline.

With the Flyers open to sale, defensive lineman Scott Laughton ($3 million cap hit through 2025-26) is worth talking about. He scored the tying goal on Sunday and led all forwards with four shots.

The 30-year-old Oakville, Ontario native has not participated in the playoffs for five years. It does not have commercial protection.