Auston Matthews slammed for post-game behavior after losing to Mitch Marner.

It was supposed to be the biggest regular season game in a long time for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night as they welcomed back former Maple Leafs star forward Mitch Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights, but unfortunately for fans of the franchise it merely turned out to be another disappointment.

The Maple Leafs were largely outclassed over 60 minutes with the Golden Knights outshooting them by a considerable margin on their way to a 6-3 victory, doing so despite the fact that Marner looked very much like a player who was impacted by the pressure of the moment on Friday night,

Marner of course plays for the other team however and following the conclusion of the game the ire was no longer directed at Marner but instead at Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews. Some fans were quick to point out that, while Marner faced the pressure of the Toronto media both before and after the game, Matthews was nowhere to be found after the game and chose not to address the media after such a tough loss.

The vitriol for Matthews did not stop there however with fans going so far as to suggest that the Maple Leafs got rid of the wrong player when they allowed Marner to walk as a free agent.

Perhaps the most damning comments however were not about Matthews failure to show up to face the media, but rather his failure to show up on the ice in the moments that matter most.

Friday night was a tough one for the Maple Leafs, but it may be captain Auston Matthews who is feeling the brunt of the backlash on Saturday.