"Worst captain ever": Fans go scorched earth on Auston Matthews for "passengers" comment after abysmal Game 7 loss

Fans reacted to Auston Matthews' post-game comments after the Toronto Maple Leafs lost 6-1 to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday. The defeat ended the Maple Leafs' playoff run in the Eastern Conference second round.

Max Domi scored the only goal for Toronto, while Joseph Woll made 27 saves. The Leafs were the top seed in the Atlantic Division but could not deliver and have now gone 0-7 in Game 7 appearances.

Auston Matthews had no points in the loss, finishing with a minus-2 rating and only two shots on goal in 17:27 of ice time. His overall playoff numbers were 11 points in 13 games, with three goals. Matthews' production in the second-round series against Florida was low, as he scored only once and had four games without a point.

NHL insider Stu Cowan shared Auston Matthews' statement after the loss on X:

“I thought we had too many passengers.”

It led to strong reactions from fans, who were upset that Matthews didn't take more responsibility.

“Worst captain ever,” one wrote.

"Oh my god, did he really say this?? The lack of self-awareness is astonishing from this guy," another said.

"Someone should’ve asked him if he included himself lmao," a fan said.

Take a look at some more fan reactions on X:

"My take is he and Marner are pretty dumb inarticulate guys and each mumbled a stock phrase without even knowing what it means. Dumb, on top of no self awareness, isn’t a good thing," a fan said.

"To be fair Florida gameplan was A+ on him no space always 2 body or 3 near him lol," one fan said.

"He is such a mediocre leader. Unreal to throw his teammate under the bus like that. He didn't show up the entire series," another fan mentioned.

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Auston Matthews analyzes Maple Leafs' Game 7 loss

Auston Matthews said that the Maple Leafs lost Game 7 because they weren’t on the same page as the Florida Panthers.

"I don't know how it really got away from us," Matthews said. "I think just not on the same page in different areas of the game.”

Seth Jones scored first at 3:15 of the second period with a high shot from the right. Lundell made it 2-0 before Jonah Gadjovich, at 9:39, made it 3-0.

Max Domi reduced arrears for Toronto early in the third. But Luostarinen, Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand completed Florida's resounding win. Florida next plays the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final.