Sheldon Keefe missed the final moments of his team’s winning streak in a dramatic turn of events.

During Tuesday’s 6-2 defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights, the Maple Leafs’ head coach was ejected from the game in the closing minutes, marking the end of Toronto’s seven-game run of victories.

Keefe opted not to delve into the specifics of his ejection during his post-game press conference, which occurred with 2:14 remaining in regulation, and he remained tight-lipped when asked about the incident’s significance compared to past encounters with officials.

His frustration was evident, particularly regarding a tripping penalty called against Toronto’s Mitch Marner with 4:53 left in the third period, shortly after the Leafs had narrowed the score to 4-2.

“The entire arena saw it on the Jumbotron,” remarked Leafs forward Tyler Bertuzzi, referring to the replay. “Marner didn’t make contact, and Stephenson appeared to stumble on his own.”

“We had momentum on our side,” Keefe lamented. “That penalty came at a crucial moment in the game.”

Vegas capitalized on the opportunity, with William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, Ivan Barbashev, Mason Morelli, Nicolas Roy, and Alex Pietrangelo (into an empty net) all finding the back of the net. Adin Hill made 28 saves for the Knights, while Shea Theodore contributed three assists.

Despite missing key players like captain Mark Stone and star center Jack Eichel due to injuries, the Knights snapped their own three-game losing streak, which included a lopsided 7-3 defeat to the Leafs last Thursday.