You know a loss is bad when your fans are taking a page from disgruntled Edmonton Oilers fans.
That’s what happened on Saturday, as the Pittsburgh Penguins rolled over the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 5-2. As you can see from this screen cap via Leafs Nation’s Jeff Veillette, at least one Leafs fan had enough and threw his or her jersey onto the ice:
While many reacted by saying “Wow, that’s a real waste of money,” the bottom line is that it was a brutal loss for the Maple Leafs. The Penguins generated a 41-25 shot advantage and the possession battle didn’t swing Toronto’s way even with Pittsburgh enjoying a beefy lead for the majority of the game.
The Maple Leafs were predictably dejected after the game, especially Phil Kessel, whose self-assessment after a pointles, two-penalty, -1 night was ... brutally honest. Dion Phaneuf’s outlook was pretty bleak, too, as the Globe & Mail’s James Mirtle reports:
Phaneuf: Tonight we weren't even close to good enough.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) October 12, 2014
To be fair, the Penguins made the Anaheim Ducks look hapless at times in their season-opening game, so tonight’s contest might have exaggerated the Maple Leafs’ struggles. Still, this loss was a strong signal that Toronto’s transition to a more modern, puck possession-minded team could be a little bumpy.
On the bright side, they seem to recognize what’s wrong, as TSN’s Jonas Siegel passes along:
More Kessel: "It’s two games in, but it’s unacceptable so far. We’ve got to be better...We just haven’t got the puck very much right now."
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) October 12, 2014
The Maple Leafs turn around and visit the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, so Toronto at least gets a quick chance to redeem itself ... or lose another game/fan.