Leafs Captain Auston Matthews Calls Out Quiet Crowd at Scotiabank Arena
Auston Matthews wasn't too pleased with the crowd's reaction after Ryan Reaves' fight on Wednesday, citing a lack of energy during their 5-1 loss to Columbus.
A major talking point this season, especially over the last few weeks, surrounded Ryan Reaves and his goose egg in the fighting majors column. He's tried a few times this month first with Garnet Hathaway and then again with Arber Xhekaj but to no avail.
Craig Berube brought Reaves back into the lineup ahead of their contest against Columbus and with Mathieu Olivier opposite him. Fireworks were expected from both heavyweights and they didn't disappoint.
They both dropped the gloves just 92 seconds into the contest and it was a spirited affair that we don't generally see anymore. It was 30 seconds of pure chaos before the referees finally jumped in, but you could tell Reaves appreciated it as he tapped Olivier on his way to the box.
While Auston Matthews believed it sparked the team a little and gave them a much needed boost of energy, he wasn't very happy with the crowd's reaction and seemingly expected more from the Leafs faithful:
This isn't the first time that some of the players have been observant of the crowd's reaction as William Nylander and Mitch Marner weren't too impressed with the fans booing the team received from the fans a two weeks ago.
Matthews was right in the sense that it gave the team a boost as they registered 10 shots on goal in the ensuing 8 minutes and had a lot more blocked or going wide of the net. Unfortunately Elvis Merzlikins was up to the task as he stopped all 15 shots thrown his way in the first period.
However, for Matthews to criticize the fans for not being loud enough, it is not a good look, especially from the captain. Scotiabank Arena's roof wasn't about to pop off by any means but it was still a loud and lively atmosphere that would have been made louder by a few Leafs goals.
What might've dampened the mood was the shorthanded goal the Leafs allowed to Adam Fantilli near the end of the first period before the crowd was completely taken out of the game by the midway mark of the second when the Jackets added 2 more goals in a span of 1:41.
There aren't too many home games on the upcoming docket with just one game scheduled at the Scotiabank Arena between now and 21st of February. 5 of the next 6 games heading into the 4-Nations Face-Off are on the road with the exception being a visit from the Minnesota Wild on January 29th, so the Leafs have one last chance to endear themselves to the crowd for well over 3 weeks.
