"Simon Benoit is such a fake tough guy": Fans react as a Brian Halonen haymaker drops Maple Leafs D-man

NHL fans on social media reacted as New Jersey Devils forward Brian Halonen laid out Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit with a solid haymaker during Tuesday's matchup.

Things got heated in the dying seconds of the game after Halonen dropped the gloves against Benoit. With just 16 seconds left on the clock, Halonen unloaded a devastating right-hand haymaker that sent Benoit staggering back, effectively ending the scrap.

Simon Benoit couldn't recover from the blow, and the fight quickly broke up.

Here's how fans on X (formerly called Twitter) reacted to Brian Halonen's blow on Simon Benoit. One tweeted:

"Benoit is such a fake tough guy."

Another chimed in:

"Imagine being down 5-2 with 15 seconds left and trying to be a tough guy just to get dummied by an AHL player. Halonen tucked him in and fed him his ba ba."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"Leafs got bullied all over the ice," a third fan posted. "Wouldn't be surprised if there's a fine or suspension because that ain't allowed with under five minutes left," one X user opined. "He was waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Then Boom!" another wrote. "Never understood why guys punch other guys after they’re already down. It’s so cheap," another chimed in.

New Jersey Devils hand Simon Benoit and Maple Leafs their second straight loss

On Tuesday, the Maple Leafs suffered a heavy 5-2 defeat to the Devils at Scotiabank Arena. This marked the second straight loss for the Leafs, while the Devils clinched their fifth straight win.

John Tavares and Matias Maccelli were the pair of goal scorers for the Leafs in the defeat. Anthony Stolarz blocked 30 shots, posting an .882 save percentage between the sticks.

For New Jersey, Jack Hughes scored a hat trick, and Jesper Bratt notched three assists on the night. Netminder Jake Allen made 23 saves with a .920 save percentage.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta