It wasn't the game the Maple Leafs or their fans wanted as the Columbus Blue Jackets won 5-1 handily on Wednesday night. But the game could have been different according to captain Auston Matthews, if the fans had shown a bit more passion.
It could be argued there was a bit of hypocrisy coming from the Leafs faithful as many have called for Reaves to start fighting more given it's his job, but when he finally dropped the gloves it fell silent.
The fight itself was a solid slugfest between Reaves and Mathieu Olivier, and while it was a stalemate, it provided a lot of excitement in a game that was played at a blistering pace from the get go.
Former enforcer and current head coach Craig Berube believes the team did their best to gain some momentum although reading between the lines he hopes as much as Matthews the crowd would be more raucous:
It was a bit strange to hear such a mild reaction given how even the smallest little incident can spark a huge chorus of cheers or boos. Things got so bad tonight, you could hear the scattered celebration of Blue Jackets fans as the Leafs faithful fell silent.
Matthews was the only one who seemed to be able to spark any offense for the team, adding his 20th goal of the season as a minor consolation.
Toronto will be able to hopefully get back on tract Saturday against Ottawa as another Battle of Ontario is set to ensue.
POLL | ||
JANVIER 23 | 772 ANSWERS Auston Matthews Calls Out Maple Leafs Fans After Humiliating Loss to the Blue Jackets Do you think the Toronto fans deserved criticism from Auston Matthews? | ||
Yes | 538 | 69.7 % |
No | 234 | 30.3 % |
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