Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues, which dropped the team’s record to 6-5-1.
On where the game got away from the team in the second period:
For me, it is the mindset. We didn’t play as we did in the first—direct, hard on pucks. I thought we were light in the second period. We tried to make a couple of plays late in a shift, and it turned over. That resulted in the first goal they got. Now, these guys are going back to our own zone tired.
It is things like that — managing the game. It is about playing the way we did in the first period. We didn’t do that in the second.
On the need to refine the team’s details and habits over 60 minutes:
There is no reason to change. It was a really good first period. You would like to come out of it with another goal, but it didn’t happen. We were up 1-0. We just didn’t stay with it and ended up giving up three goals.
On the team’s penalties in the game, including the Matthews roughing call:
I have no problem with what Matthews doing what he did. I mean, Mitch Marner got drilled at the side of the net. It should’ve been a penalty. They missed it. For sure, that is a penalty, and they missed it. He is sticking up for his teammate there. I have no problem with that.
On loading up the top power-play unit late in the game and the continued struggles on the man advantage (0 for 4):
We were down. We tried to load it up and see if we could get one.
For me, it is execution. The other thing is that there is not a directness to it. We are not getting pucks to the net enough. We are on the power play. We need to shoot pucks more, get pucks to the net, and create opportunities around the net on broken plays, but we’re not. There is not a shot mentality on the power play right now. It is execution.
Chris Tanev: “We played an awful second period”
We played an awful second period. We came out, had a great first period, and didn’t give them much. We did the complete opposite in the second and let them play in our end the whole time. We let them score goals. It changed the whole game in 10 minutes.
We need to be consistent and do the right things over and over again. We can’t have lapses like that where the game completely changes because we are not doing the right thing, we are not working, and we are not playing hard.
It is something we need to improve on. I’ll take responsibility for that. I am a leader on the team and need to set the tone and do things properly.
Steven Lorentz: “I think we got a little bit complacent”
I think we got a little bit complacent. We came out and liked our first period. It wasn’t our greatest hockey, but we were happy with our first period, and we were trying to build on it in the second. That definitely didn’t happen.
I think we took our foot off the gas a little bit. This is a good league. You can’t take anything for granted. They scored a few quick ones on us, and then, in the third period, it was too little, too late. We know better than that.
The good thing is that we can put this one behind us. Tomorrow is a new day, and we have another crack at it.
