Maple Leafs' Steven Lorentz breaks silence on his 'bound to happen' tripping penalty against rival Montreal Canadiens

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz received his first penalty of the season in Saturday's 7-3 comeback win over the Montreal Canadiens. Lorentz received a two-minute minor for tripping Habs defenseman Mike Matheson with 2:14 remaining in the game. He was stuck out for a long shift as Montreal was making a 6-on-5 push with their goalie pulled.

Not only was it Lorentz's first penalty of the campaign, but it was also the first time he has been sent to the box in 64 games dating back to his time with the Florida Panthers in 2023-24. The depth winger plays a physical style of game, having racked up 124 hits this season, which makes it impressive to see how he remains so disciplined.

Lorentz spoke to the media following Monday's morning skate and was asked about his tripping penalty. Leafslatest shared his comments on X.

"Bound to happen sometime," Lorentz said. "Didn’t mean it, thought I got him with my hip, but that’s the game. I heard from my family, but gotta get some PIMs up there for the tough-guy look."

Lorentz has two penalty minutes on the season and a total of 44 in his 277-game NHL career. He went penalty-free in the 16 games he played during the Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup run last season.

Steven Lorentz snapped an eight-game goalless drought on Saturday night

Steven Lorentz also ended a slump on Saturday as he scored his first goal in nine games. He was on the receiving end of a nice feed from Mitch Marner that extended Toronto's lead to 6-3 in the third period. Although he is not known for his offensive prowess, it was a welcome sight to see him chip in goals from time to time.

In his first season as a Toronto Maple Leaf, he has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 47 games played. His one-year $775,000 contract signed in the offseason has provided the team plenty of value. There's already been talk that the team would like to extend the Kitchener, Ontario native to a longer-term deal.

Lorentz and the Leafs are back in action on Monday as they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at Scotiabank Arena. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. EST.