"Fire Keefe" "Pathetic effort": Toronto Maple Leafs fans dejected after 9-3 loss to Buffalo Sabres

Toronto Maple Leafs fans were left disheartened as their team suffered a crushing 9-3 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Jeff Skinner marked his return from injury in style, contributing two goals and an assist to the Sabres' emphatic win.

Following their defeat against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Sabres turned up with an amazing offensive display. Kyle Okposo had two goals while Tage Thompson contributed one goal and two assists. Alex Tuch had four assists showcasing his ability to make plays. In that encounter, Devon Levi stopped 25 shots in net.

Despite Auston Matthews continuing his impressive goal-scoring streak by scoring again, the Toronto Maple Leafs couldn’t overcome the relentless Sabres. In today’s game, he made it six consecutive games where he has scored after sitting out due to illness.

Ilya Samsonov had a difficult night giving up five goals on 19 shots before Martin Jones came in for relief and made 12 saves.

Toronto Maple Leafs fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment and frustration following the team's staggering defeat.

"Fire Keefe. That's all this game deserves" - one user wrote

"What a pathetic effort. Leafs need to make changes" - another wrote

The back-to-back regulation losses mark a rare dip in their team's performance this season. The lopsided defeat against the Sabres left fans disappointed, hoping for a swift turnaround in the team's fortunes.

Sabres soar to a commanding victory over Toronto Maple Leafs in offensive showcase

Buffalo Sabres got a convincing 9-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. After missing nine games due to an upper-body injury, it took just 2:27 for Greenway to break the ice and give Buffalo a 1-0 lead in the first period. Matthews answered for the Leafs at 7:28, equalizing with a splendid spin-and-shoot from below the circle.

The game remained tight until Max Domi, with a power-play goal from the right circle, tilted the scales in favor of the Maple Leafs at 12:39. But Buffalo quickly responded as Owen Power backhanded a rebound to knot it up at 2-2 at 13:44. Then Jeff Skinner put the Sabres ahead 3-2 at 15:51 after missing three games.

Rasmus Dahlin made his mark on a precision play during a 5-on-3 power play making it 4-2 at four minutes and forty-four seconds into that frame. Calle Jarnkrok scored a short-handed goal for the Leafs at five minutes and forty-two seconds; nonetheless, they continued to hit in waves. Tage Thompson, Kyle Okposo, Jack Quinn and Skinner all scored within no time, thus securing a massive win of 9-3.