"Can't believe he didn't flop a la Marner": NHL fans react as Auston Matthews endures no-penalty call high stick to the face

Hockey fans were outraged after Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews endured a high stick to the face with no penalty called during Game 6 against the Florida Panthers.

The incident happened midway through the second period when Panthers center Aleksander Barkov caught Matthews in the face (near/at left eye) with his stick during a faceoff.

Auston Matthews headed to the locker room after taking a high stick. But he was back on the ice not long after. Despite the play, no penalty was called on Barkov.

Fans were quick to voice their frustration on social media, stunned that such a clear infraction wasn’t called.

"Can't believe he didn't flop a la Marner!" one fan wrote.

"Good eye ref. Blind as a damn bat," another fan wrote.

Here are some fan reactions:

"Really? The Panthers got away with a high stick? That's a joke!" one fan wrote.

"Then he gets a penalty for doing the same thing shit makes no sense" another fan wrote.

"In their defense there's only 3 refs.... Including 1 about 1 foot away from the drop of the puck.. in other words... Why the Truck isn't that a penalty these refs suck" a user commented.

"Rule book says a player should be in control of there own stick" another user wrote.

By the end of the second period, the game was still scoreless. The Leafs are trying to force Game 7 after squandering a 2-0 lead in the Round 2 series.

Auston Matthews on Craig Berube's "unplug"

In the lead-up to the crucial Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube stated that he wanted his team to "unplug" and not think too much about the high-stakes game. When asked about Berube's comments, Auston Matthews confirmed that the Leafs players took their coach's advice.

"Last night was good, yeah," Matthews said simply.

When pressed for more details, Matthews elaborated that the night before was about Toronto players hanging out together and enjoying each other's company away from the rink.

“I mean a lot of us, you know, just kind of hang out together, do whatever," he said. "It’s just nice to spend time, obviously. A lot of free time when you’re on the road, away from family lives, stuff like that. So, just nice for everybody to kind of be together, hang out, and just enjoy each other’s company.”

Matthews emphasized that the team was staying relaxed and keeping things loose ahead of the crucial Game 6.