"Most unwatchable Habs D-man" "Biggest defensive liabilities": Montreal Canadiens D-man under fire from fans after 3-1 loss to Penguins

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson faced criticism from fans after a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Sidney Crosby scored twice, leading to the Canadiens' defeat and disappointing fans. Many quickly took to social media to express their frustration, singling out Matheson’s performance.

Mike Matheson logged 25 minutes and 41 seconds of ice time but didn’t impact the scoresheet. He finished without goals, assists, or points, and his minus-two rating with no shots added to fans’ frustration. Many believed he played a part in two of the Penguins' goals.

When the Montreal Canadiens posted the final score on X (formerly Twitter), fans openly expressed their disappointment.

"Matheson might be the most unwatchable Habs dman since Petry," One fan wrote.

"Matheson is legit one of our biggest defensive liabilities," another commented.

"Matheson cost us that game. First goal was his fault, then blows a drop pass to end it. Chefs kiss from Matheson on that one tonight," a fan posted.

Here's a look at some more reactions from fans on X.

"MSL’s awful, Matheson is awful, Suzuki is awful, Newhook is awful, the refs are awful, Anderson is awful, Armia is awful," a fan said.

"Ah yes, Matheson cost us 2 goals tonight but i bet he will keep being put on pp1 and no accountability. Meanwhile Hutson still plays on pp2 for like 30 secs and his unit does more," another commented.

"how many fucking games are we gonna loose because of Matheson before he gets benched/skips his turn on PP ??? Jesus christ the amount of turnovers..," one X user said.

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Montreal Canadiens' offense failed to score and Penguins dominated the game

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Montreal Canadiens, and Sidney Crosby was the star of the night. He had just broken a six-game goal drought in the previous game against Anaheim.

Crosby’s first goal came at 15:57 in the first period. Rickard Rakell sent him a cross-ice pass, and Crosby shot it past Montreal Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault from the right face-off circle.

Crosby scored again on a power play at 18:40 in the second period, bringing his season total to five goals. Kris Letang, who played his 1,100th NHL game, praised Crosby's effort. Letang said Crosby does more than score — he plays against top lines and creates space for his teammates.

Christian Dvorak scored for Montreal in the third period, cutting Pittsburgh’s lead to 2-1. However, Blake Lizotte secured the Penguins' win with an empty-net goal at 19:15.

Montreal coach Martin St-Louis thought his team played well enough to win.

“You would’ve liked to get a result tonight because I feel the guys deserved something,” St Louis said per NHL.com. “We just didn’t get that. It’s a hard League, but I feel like it‘s a really good sign and a step in the right direction. I feel like, now, it’s just to maintain that.”

The Penguins have now won two straight games after a six-game losing streak.