Craig Berube on the Maple Leafs’ 8-for-15 turnaround on the power play: “More of an attack mentality downhill, but the numbers at the net are the key”

After Monday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed Connor Dewar and Jani Hakanpaa nearing a return, the loss of Max Pacioretty for several weeks, taking precaution with Auston Matthews’ injury, and the power play catching fire in the last four games.

Practice Lines – Nov. 11

Leafs lines at practice

Knies – Dewar – Marner
McMann – Tavares – Benning
Robertson – Holmberg – Myers
Lorentz – Kampf – Reaves

Rielly – Ekman-Larsson
McCabe – Tanev
Benoit – Timmins
Hakanpää

Stolarz
Woll

Domi, Nylander (maintenance), Matthews (upper body)

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) November 11, 2024

With Jani Hakanpaa and Connor Dewar almost back and ready to go, what do you think they can bring, and when do you anticipate their return?

Berube: Hakanpaa still has to be cleared, but Dewar is good to go. They are obviously playing different positions.

Dewar is a worker up front, a penalty killer, and brings energy and physicality to the game. I saw him quite a bit in Minnesota when I was coaching St. Louis, so I know him pretty well from watching him. He can add something for sure.

Hak is a big guy back there who kills a lot of plays. He has been very good on the penalty kill over the years. Just the size of him makes it hard for people to get to the net. He plays a hard, physical game, too.

Is the news not as bad on Max Pacioretty as you probably feared on Saturday night?

Berube: It is bad enough, that’s for sure. That is a loss. This guy was playing good hockey for us — that power forward hockey with his physicality and his ability to hang onto pucks in the offensive zone and score some goals.

It is unfortunate for him and us. I feel for him with the injuries over the years, but he will grind through it. He is a worker and a very good pro. He will get back.

How much does losing Pacioretty mix up your plan with the forward lines? Do you stick with the same forward pairs?

Berube: I will stick with pairs, but we definitely have to mix it up a little bit and put somebody back in that spot — somebody who is a player of his calibre and the type that we need on the line. Those are things we are going to have to tinker with a little bit and find the right fit.

How much do you think Auston Matthews’ injury situation affected his lower-than-usual production at the start of the season?

Berube: That is a question more for him than me, but nobody is going to make excuses — especially him.

I have talked before about Auston’s play before he was out. It was very good, in my opinion. I get the goals weren’t going in, but the chances were there. The 200-foot play was excellent. There is a lot of good going on there.

I know that the goals weren’t going in; that is what most people focus on, and I get that we need him to score goals. But his play was really good.

Behind the scenes, how important is it to ensure that the injury is fully behind Matthews and does not become an issue moving forward?

Berube: It is very important. We are all trying to figure it out, work on it, make sure we get him back and that this thing doesn’t occur again over the course of the year. It is not something you want lingering on — especially for him — throughout the season. We are trying to do our best not to allow it to happen.

Is it the same issue he faced in training camp?

Berube: I guess it’s probably part of it, yeah.

Is there any concern that Max Domi or William Nylander won’t be available for Tuesday’s game?

Berube: I don’t think so. It is maintenance more than anything. I think they are both going to be available.

How different is the feel on the power play right now after the recent success?

Berube: You guys aren’t looking at the video as we are and looking at it really closely. If you look at it, you see the two guys at the net inside on all of these goals. To me, that is the biggest difference. We are also just attacking downhill. With those guys at the net, and the rebounds and puck play, you get loose pucks and score goals off of it.

It is more of an attack mentality downhill, but the numbers at the net are the key.

Is having two guys at the net different than the typical 1-3-1?

Berube: It is really not. You are still in a 1-3-1 formation, but it is just kind of the downhill look. It ends up looking like two guys at the net.  On Tavares’ goal the other night, he is in the right spot, gets the rebound, and puts it in.