Auston Matthews explained why the Toronto Maple Leafs lost Game 7 to the Florida Panthers in the second round of the playoffs — but fans didn’t buy it. Instead, Matthews received heavy backlash for his comments.
The Florida Panthers completely dominated the Maple Leafs in Sunday’s Game 7. Still, the game was tied 0–0 after the first period. But in the second, the Panthers scored three unanswered goals in just over six minutes and ultimately won 6–1, eliminating Toronto from this year’s playoffs.
Fans and analysts have slammed the Leafs for their overall playoff performance — especially in Sunday’s deciding game.
Auston Matthews slammed
Many feel that star players like Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and John Tavares were underwhelming and underperforming. When Matthews spoke to reporters after the game, he called out some of his teammates, saying they were “passengers.”
“I felt like we were ready to play,” said Matthews. “I felt like we were in a good mindset. Like I said, I thought the first 10 minutes we didn’t — they came out strong. The next 10 minutes, I thought we controlled play. And then I just thought we had too many… passengers throughout the rest of the game. We just weren’t on the same page, and they get a couple of goals and momentum like that, and then you’re chasing the game. It’s hard to get it back when you’re down three against a good team that plays sound defensively like them.”
But Matthews’ comments quickly backfired. Many fans pointed out that he finished the series with just one goal and three assists — and in Game 7, he managed only two shots on goal.
“Buddy, you are the captain of this ship — it’s your job to drive these passengers,” one person said.
“One point in the last four games of the series and this guy is talking about ‘passengers’ being an issue. You were the biggest one… Shocking from a captain who was basically invisible all series,” another added.
“It’s a good thing he’s not the captain and doesn’t have any responsibility for motivating his team,” a third chimed in.
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