"What a disaster" "Absolutely shameful performance" - Leafs nation reacts to Toronto Maple Leafs' 6-5 loss to Devils 

The Toronto Maple Leafs suffered a devastating 6-5 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night. With the game tied 5-5, Devils forward Jesper Bratt scored the game-winning goal with just 1:14 left in regulation. The loss was met with disappointment from Leafs' fans across the nation.

Auston Matthews netted two goals, bringing his tally to a league-leading 68 goals this season.

John Tavares and David Kampf also scored for the Leafs. However, Ilya Samsonov's poor performance in goal had Maple Leafs fans fuming. Samsonov made 14 saves on 20 shots for a .700 save percentage on the night.

One fan took to X, commenting:

“What a disaster!!! How can we feel remotely confident with this team going into the playoffs!!!! Great time for goalie issues and D garbage. Tryin to be positive here but ..... my word!!”

Another fan called out Samsonov’s performance:

“Absolutely shameful performance by Samsonov this close to the playoffs no less, oofff”.

Here are some more fan reactions on X:

"Damn! Leafs lose a close one but they fought hard," one fan wrote in support of the Leafs.

"That game is entirely on samsonov. Rest him from here, play jones," another fan wrote on X.

"It’s okay, 34 scored two. We good," a user said on Matthews' goals.

"Probably should have pulled Sammy in the 1st period…" a fan wrote.

"Gotta get ready for the playoffs by into the swing of epic collapses," one fan wrote.

Brutal 6 on 20.....out in round one--- these clowns," wrote another fan.

"Game 1 in Florida I guess.." another fan wrote on X.

The defeat dealt a big blow to Toronto’s chances of closing the gap on the Florida Panthers for second spot in the Atlantic Division. The Panthers (106 points) are now five points ahead of Toronto (101 points) in the standings.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will aim to bounce back on Saturday as they play against the Detroit Red Wings at home next. In contrast, the Devils are set to take on the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.

Toronto Maple Leafs fall 6-5 to New Jersey Devils

Toronto got off to a quick start, with John Tavares finding the back of the net just 18 seconds into the first period, with a pass from Mitch Marner. However, the New Jersey Devils quickly responded, as Erik Haula tied the game only 21 seconds later.

The scoring continued at a rapid pace throughout the game. Auston Matthews regained the lead for the Maple Leafs at 6:08 of the first period while Nolan Foote equalized for the Devils less than two minutes later. Timo Meier then gave the Devils a 3-2 lead on a power-play goal midway through the first period.

Matthews continued his impressive scoring streak in the second period, netting his second goal of the game. David Kampf briefly gave the Maple Leafs a 4-3 lead, but Meier struck again just before the end of the period, tying the game at 4-4.

The third period was equally intense. Jesper Bratt scored a power-play goal to put the Devils ahead 5-4, but Tavares responded for the Toronto Maple Leafs with a goal, knotting the score at 5-5. With just 1:14 left in regulation, Bratt secured his second goal of the game, securing the 6-5 victory for the Devils.