The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to struggle to win games. After their latest loss, captain Auston Matthews summed up the season by comparing it to previous seasons for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins.
With just two points and no wins in seven games since the Olympic break, the Maple Leafs sit in 15th place in the Eastern Conference—eleven points out of a playoff spot.
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No wins since the Olympics
Recent results have offered little hope for the team or its fans. On Thursday, they lost 6-2 to the New York Rangers, the only team below them in the Eastern Conference standings. On Sunday, they fell 5-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Just try to find our game, play a complete 60 minutes. We have stretches where we play really well, and then there are a couple of times where we let it get away from us. We have 18 games left, so we have to battle and work through this. You hate to hear the boos with a minute left,” Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz told NHL.com after the game.
Auston Matthews honest words
Later, team captain Auston Matthews spoke to reporters and offered a brutally honest take on the Maple Leafs’ season, which could see them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2015–16.
“I remember the Lightning missed the playoffs one year, and then the next year they were back at the top of the division, competing. Boston this year had a down year, and it’s the same thing—they’re back in the mix. You know, sometimes it happens,” Matthews said.
Reactions to Auston Matthews comments
Fans have now reacted to Matthews’ comments, suggesting that both the Lightning and Bruins benefited from a winning mentality and expert front offices that the Maple Leafs currently lack.
“This is deeply reassuring from the captain. He’s right, and no one is talking about this. To be able to do this, though, they need a new coach and a new GM, plain and simple,” one fan wrote on X.
“Optimism among the players is genuinely important, so this is good—but those organizations were stable and not run by stupid people,” another added.
“The difference is those teams had competent management,” a third chimed in.
Next, the Maple Leafs will face the Montreal Canadiens.
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