The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to spiral, with their losing streak stretching to eight games following a 3-1 defeat to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
With the latest defeat, Toronto now sits at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, and their playoff hopes are fading quickly. As frustration grows around the team, much of the criticism has been directed at captain Auston Matthews.
Maple Leafs Fans Rip Auston Matthews
Montreal set the tone early, outshooting Toronto 15-8 in the first period and jumping out to a two-goal lead. William Nylander scored in the second, but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback.
The loss extended Toronto’s skid to eight games, the 12th such streak in franchise history and their worst stretch since the 11-game slide in 2014-15. The Leafs are also the only NHL team without a win since the Olympic break (0-5-2) and have just two regulation victories in their last 21 games.
Much of the attention has turned toward captain Auston Matthews, who has struggled to generate offense. He is currently in the middle of a 12-game goal drought, with his last 47 shots on goal all turned aside by opposing goaltenders.
Despite leading Team USA to gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy earlier this year, Matthews has not been able to carry that momentum back to the NHL.
Fans, analysts, and media members were quick to react after another disappointing night for Toronto.
NHL analyst Luke Fox highlighted Matthews’ cold stretch on social media. “Maple Leafs lose eight straight. Auston Matthews’s goal drought reaches 12 games. His past 47 shots on net have all been stopped.”
Montreal Gazette columnist Stu Cowan was also critical of the Leafs captain, suggesting that Auston Matthews has looked disengaged since returning from the Olympics with Team USA’s gold medal. “When the captain gives up not surprising the rest of team follows,” Cowan added.
Others used humor to point out Matthews’ scoring slump. “The last time Auston Matthews scored, gas was at $1.20 a litre,” one hockey insider joked. Longtime Leafs reporter Howard Berger also weighed in on the situation. “One goal in 17 games for the captain. None in the past 12. And it’s Berube’s fault.”
With the loss, Toronto is now on pace for just 82 points and currently sits among the bottom teams in the NHL in points percentage.
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The Maple Leafs will look to end their slide when they face the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, hoping to finally stop a skid that has quickly turned their season into one of the most disappointing stretches in recent franchise history.
