Toronto Maple Leafs Got Smoked During Their First Playoff Game & Fan Reactions Were Brutal

Love them or hate them, you can't deny fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs have an unshakeable belief that their boys will prevail each year.

However, that said, the team's humiliating loss 7-3 to Tampa Bay Lightning last night did open up a deep well of self-hatred. Oops.

In fact, judging by some of the comments that flooded social media on Tuesday night, it appears that no one hates the Leafs more than their own fanbase.

Someone even compared the feeling of watching the game to getting "run over by a tank." Yikes.

Other fans appeared to be using the heartbreaking moment as a chance to self-reflect.

As if the fan response wasn't brutal enough, a video shared by Sportsnet's Twitter highlighted the awkward atmosphere in the Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday evening and it's certainly not the vibe.

No one wants to watch their team crash and burn in the playoffs for an eternity, but the booing may have been a bit much.

What was the Leafs' reaction to the embarrassing loss, you ask? They, uh, weren't stoked. But, the team's captain, John Tavares, did offer up a hot take on how the game was refereed.

"Those calls that are borderline, more likely than not they're gonna go their way," he said during a post-game conference.

Tavares wasn't the only one complaining about the game's officials.

Fans were quick to join in with their own takes on last night's officiating, which should probably be taken with a grain of salt.

However, star centre Auston Matthews didn't seem as convinced, arguing, "most of the penalties that were called were penalties," when asked if he felt slighted by the refs.

The Leafs are scheduled for a rematch with Tampa Bay at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Overall, the start to the playoff season was not what any Toronto fan would hope for, but there's still plenty of hockey left to play.

So, no need to jump off the bandwagon quite yet.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.