“Refs have taken the joy out of this sport”: Fans react as Buffalo Sabres lose to Maple Leafs for 12th straight defeat

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Dec 21, 2024 12:20 GMT

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Fans reacted as the Buffalo Sabres lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 on Friday, extending their losing streak to 12 games. The Sabres are 11-18-4 on the season, with a 0-9-3 record during the skid.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen started in goal but allowed four goals on 13 shots. He was replaced by James Reimer, who made 14 saves in the second period. The Buffalo Sabres posted the final score on X (formerly Twitter), prompting reactions from fans.

“All I’ll say is the refs have taken the joy out of this sport!,” one fan wrote.

A fan pointed out the Sabres's two disallowed goals. One was for a double minor penalty on Jason Zucker for high-sticking at 1-1, while the other was overturned due to goalie Interference. Owen Power tried to make it 5-4 at 16:36, but the goal was disallowed after a video review.

"Imagine getting 2 goals taken away because a ref missed a call so Toronto calls to bail out the Leafs after the Sabres had possession for several passes and then horrendous goalie interference that is a carbon copy of a goal that stood on us just weeks ago LMAO broken league," the fan said.

“At this point, the only reason I’m watching the games is to see how long it takes Ruff to walk out. ... I mean how much can one take?,” another fan said.

Here are some more reactions on X:

"Admin I don’t know how to skate so I think I’ll fit right in. Can I play right wing?," a fan joked.

"Not your fault Social media guy. You just work for a team that doesn't care," another fan said.

"Imagine being down 5-1 on home ice and not even finishing a hit, or starting a scrum. This team has no heart and no shame," one fan added.

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Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff talks about loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs

Bobby McMann scored the first goal for Toronto Maple Leafs at 1:29. Auston Matthews added a power-play goal at 6:05 before Nicholas Robertson made it 3-0 early in the second period. JJ Peterka made it 3-1 for the Buffalo Sabres, but Max Domi and Max Pacioretty made it 5-1 for Toronto.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, addressing the loss, refrained from putting blame on starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who played for 24:27 before being pulled out.

“This isn’t about ‘UPL’. Really, let’s be serious. He was exposed to pretty high quality. This is on our group.” Ruff said, per NHL.com.

Mattias Samuelsson’s wrist shot cut the deficit to 5-2 before Owen Power, at 11:56 in the third period. made it 5-3 for the Buffalo Sabres. However, William Nylander sealed Toronto's win with an empty-net goal.