"Core 4 had every opportunity to win. Disappointing": Toronto fans bummed out as Maple Leafs squander 2-0 lead in S/O loss to league-bottom SJ Sharks

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Mar 04, 2025 08:06 GMT

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The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 3-2 in a shootout to the San Jose Sharks on Monday, ending their five-game winning streak. John Tavares and Matthew Knies scored for Toronto. The team led 2-0 after two periods but allowed two third-period goals. Anthony Stolarz made 20 saves for the Leafs but failed to help them win the game. Captain Auston Matthews extended his point streak to 10 games.

The Maple Leafs posted the final score on X:

Soon, NHL fans shared their opinions on the Maple Leafs' loss.

“Y’all been playing well but tonight was an embarrassment,” one fan wrote.

“Core 4 had every opportunity to win this game. Disappointing,” another fan said.

"Incoming, people acting as if we didnt just win 8/9 games," A Maple Leafs fan tweeted.

Here are some more reactions from fans on X:

"Hope this game shows everyone in management why Tavares shouldn't get a penny over 2 mil," an X user wrote. "Also, fire the PP coach, we do the same failed system over and over again. We got rid of Sheldon Keefe but got an even more stubborn coach."

"I don’t care if you’ve played on back-to-back nights and three games in four nights, you can’t lose to the worst team in the league. No excuses !" one hockey fan said.

"The chances we had to put that game to bed, the game should never have gotten to OT," A Maple Leafs fan commented. Yeah cool, we got another point on the board, but that should be 2. Need to pick back up on the road again."

Toronto Maple Leafs coach was disappointed after the Leafs lost despite a two-goal lead

Entering the third period, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a two-goal lead. John Tavares made it 1-0 at 8:28 of the second period, redirecting Mitch Marner’s point shot on the power play. Matthew Knies extended the lead to 2-0 at 19:55, scoring after Auston Matthews’s shot created a rebound.

However, Jack Thompson cut it to 2-1 early in the third, scoring off a rebound from Alexander Wennberg’s shot. Wennberg later set up Tyler Toffoli at 10:10 to tie the game. The Leafs failed to score in the third to, and lost in a shootout.

Speaking after the game, coach Craig Berube said:

"A 2-0 lead, we are in a good spot to close it out and we didn’t do the job. We had a chance in OT with the power play and couldn’t get one."

The loss ended the Toronto Maple Leafs' five-game winning streak.