"Lost to Laval Rockets": Habs fans troll Auston Matthews-less Maple Leafs after 4-2 preseason loss to Canadiens

Fans were quick to react to the Maple Leafs’ 4-2 preseason loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, especially after Toronto had beaten Montreal 7-2 just a day earlier.

The Leafs were without captain Auston Matthews, though stars like John Tavares, Morgan Rielly, and William Nylander suited up. That didn’t stop fans from chiming in online to the Leafs' loss to a Canadiens team comprised mainly of their AHL affiliate.

"Lost to the Laval Rockets"

Alex #FireMSL #DobsonSZN

@Demidov3ra

@MapleLeafs Lost to the Laval Rockets

Another fan wrote,

"THE LAVAL ROCKET JUST BEAT THE LEAFS OPENING NIGHT LINEUP LOLOLLL"

RelivedBH

@RelivedBH_YT

@MapleLeafs THE LAVAL ROCKET JUST BEAT THE LEAFS OPENING NIGHT LINEUP LOLOLLL

Here are some fan reactions:

"LOL this was 80% of the Leafs regular season lineup against our AHL Iineup" one fan wrote.

"Laval wins, and according to leafs fans from 2 days ago that mean laval>leafs" antoher fan wrote.

"The lines just don’t fit with each other. Maccelli should be on the top line with Knies and Matthews, Domi should be 3rd liner. Also our defense looks old and slow. Stolarz looks kinda ass. Yall better do good on opening night." a user commented.

"The regular season is all that really counts, and right now, I am just happy to have hockey back." another user wrote.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to bounce back in their next preseason matchup against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday at Scotiabank Arena.

Maple Leafs HC Craig Berube on 4-2 pre-season loss against Canadiens

Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke after Toronto’s 4-2 preseason loss to the Canadiens, where John Tavares and William Nylander scored for the Leafs while Alex Newhook, Sean Farrell, Lane Hutson, and Riley Kidney found the net for Montreal.

"Uhhh… I liked our 6-on-5. Little signs of life. It is one of those preseason games. Montreal worked hard and played a simple game. We kind of complicated things at times. That is what you get sometimes in preseason games." Craig Berube said after the game.

When asked about the challenge of coaching in games like this, Berube acknowledged they can be tough, saying:

"They are. It lacks intensity. That can drive a coach bananas, but I understand."

Still, he felt there were positives to build on and said he focuses on structure, routes, and the team’s systems more than anything else in the preseason.