The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a devastating defeat to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 on Wednesday night, failing to put up much of a fight during the 6–1 blowout.
Maple Leafs fans were left yearning for more from their group of star forwards, and Auston Matthews in particular, who remains without a goal through five games of the series.
When the score reached 5–0 in favor of Florida early into the third period, one fan at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena decided they had had enough. The individual took the No. 34 Matthews jersey off their back and launched it onto the ice in a show of their frustration.
One of the referees was tasked with scooping up the jersey and taking it off the ice, but not before the message from the fan base was received.
An Auston Matthews jersey was just thrown on the ice at Scotiabank Arena. pic.twitter.com/lLP1pfpRFl
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 15, 2025
Matt Murray now in goal after the 5th Florida goal. Someone threw a Matthews flipside jersey onto the ice. pic.twitter.com/ZUkP8AgXiW
— David Alter (@dalter) May 15, 2025
Things are not going well in Toronto.
The Maple Leafs jumped out to a 2–0 series lead before completely losing their grip on the series by failing to win any of the next three games. Now trailing 3–2 in the series, Toronto's offense has been absolutely outclassed by Florida's defense, having scored just one goal in their last two games.
Matthews in particular has taken a brunt of the criticism from fans, and rightfully so. His contributions on defense have been sound, but that's not what he's being paid to do. Matthews has no goals in the series and just three points in the last five games. As his struggles continue to mount, fans are already running out of patience with their captain and the rest of the team's core.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Maple Leafs Fan Chucked Auston Matthews Jersey Onto Ice During Blowout vs. Panthers.
