Maple Leafs Pontus Holmberg may face suspension after dirty play on Ridly Grieg

The play took place with three minutes left in the first period with the game is tied 1-1, when Holmberg and Grieg were leaving the Ottawa zone. Holmberg grabbed Grieg unexpectedly and literally threw him to the ice as Grieg left his skates.

It caused Senators players on the ice and players on the bench to leap to their feet, demanding for a penalty which ended up being called. Holmberg was given 2 minutes for roughing as the period closed out.

This play also has led many fans to express their disgust and calling for a suspension on Holmberg after Grieg did not return to the game and there's no word on his status at the time. Fans including mostly Leafs fans are calling Grieg a diver and soft on this play as it appeared to be quite easy for him to be knocked off his feet with no resistance.

The rivalry between the Maple Leafs and the Senators has been quiet over the past several years as the old days of the Battle of Ontario especially in those playoff rounds are all but long gone. It seems the mutual hate between these two teams is beginning to grow again.

Grieg has a history with the Maple Leafs after last year's fiasco when he slap shotted into an empty net which caused Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly to cross check him in the head which led to A5 game suspension last February. This suspension caused a massive stir across the NHL amongst fanbases and even some pundits to the severity of the suspension and comparing it to other egregious hits that managed to sustain less games lost.

It remains to be seen if this will spark any further retaliation from the Senators but it's safe to say the Battle of Ontario is back on and it's about to be far more entertaining and memorable.

Source: House of Hockey