The Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t hold on to a 4-2 lead against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, October 15, and lost 5-4 in overtime. Jim Hiller’s team got some good news, including strong performances from Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko. The latter had a three-point night after scoring his first hat trick with the Toronto franchise.
However, they suffered more than one setback, as John Tavares left the game early after colliding with Buffalo’s Josh Norris. He couldn’t return, and details of his injury are still unclear.
After that, Hiller made the unexpected decision to bench Gavin McKenna, and many fans are upset, believing it played a significant role in Toronto’s inability to hold on to the lead and ultimately lose the game.
On social media, some fans are even calling for Hiller to be fired, while others point out that, despite giving him the benefit of the doubt, games like this prove he is not the right coach for the franchise.
Maple Leafs Blow 4-2 Lead, Fall to Sabres 5-4 in Overtime
“FIRE JIM HILLER IMMEDIATELY,” wrote one fan on X (Twitter). “Jim Hiller is an abusive creep. He takes pleasure in hurting teenagers and needs to be stopped now before it gets any worse,” another one expressed.
“I had my doubts from day 1 on the Jim Hiller hiring. Tonight justified that. How do you run three lines, Tavares goes down, and you still won’t play McKenna or McKewan? You play 9 forwards after a road trip in a different time zone? He sucked in LA too,” another user explained.
The Maple Leafs still have eight games remaining in October and must quickly return to action next Saturday when they face the New York Islanders at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. They will then begin the week by hosting the San Jose Sharks on Monday, October 19, before traveling to Columbus to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, October 20.
On October 22, they will return home to host the New York Rangers before visiting the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, October 24. Their final three games of the month will be against the Calgary Flames on October 26 at Scotiabank Saddledome, the Seattle Kraken on October 28 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, and the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on October 31.
We’ll see how Hiller approaches these games and whether his situation improves.
Maple Leafs Fans Demand Jim Hiller Be Fired After Sabres Loss