Craig Berube on the Leafs scoring one goal in the last two losses: “Goals go in when you shoot pucks and are around the net… We have to do a better job of it at 5-on-5 and on the power play”

After Wednesday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed John Tavares leaving practice with an injury, Jake McCabe’s possible return on Thursday, William Nylander’s dip offensively, Max Pacioretty returning from a healthy scratch, and Mitch Marner’s role at the top of the power play.

Practice Lines – Jan. 15

Lines at Leafs practice

Knies – Matthews – Marner
Pacioretty – Tavares – Nylander
McMann – Domi – Robertson
Lorentz – Kampf – Holmberg
Dewar, Reaves

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

Woll
Hildeby

Host NJ tomorrow @TSN_Edge pic.twitter.com/2QNGdcoNiU

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) January 15, 2025

Is there an update on John Tavares after he left practice injured?

Berube: Nothing yet. He is being evaluated. I didn’t even see it. It kind of happened behind the net. I didn’t get a good look at it.

He is being looked at now.

How can you describe what Tavares has meant to the team this season?

Berube: He has been a great player for us, for sure, in a lot of areas. Hopefully, he is okay.

It started with the captaincy switch and how he handled that. He came in and played extremely well for us. He has done a lot of good things.

Great teammate. Great leader. He has been a fabulous player for a long time.

Nothing appeared to change about Tavares’ game after the captaincy switch.

Berube: Nothing. That is his character. He didn’t take it badly. He accepted it and moved on. He’s been a great leader still — that hasn’t changed — and his play on the ice has been really good for us this year.

How did Jake McCabe look to you in practice today?

Berube: Good. I thought he had a good practice and looked fine. We will see how he is tomorrow.

Where did you miss McCabe the most?

Berube: In a lot of areas. He and Tanev, as a shutdown pair, have done a great job for us, and the penalty killing and stabilizing the team at times. Very good guy in the locker room and on the bench — vocal. We miss him when he is out of the lineup. He does a lot of good things for us.

William Nylander’s offense hasn’t been there of late. What is your sense of his all-around game?

Berube: We talk about working his way out of it. I go back to the Carolina game. In that first period, he was really explosive and on top of things. It is just getting him back to more consistency with that. When he has opportunities, shoot the puck. He has a great shot.

He hit a post last night on the power play, but he has to shoot. He has to stay involved in the game a little bit longer than he is. Work your way out of it, just like the whole team. Offensively, we have to keep working on it and stay on it with second and third efforts everywhere.

This league is a second- and third-effort league. At this time of year, it gets hard. We all know that. We need second and third effort.

You’ve mentioned wanting to keep all of your players involved and not scratching anyone for too long. When you do sit a player down, is there a message involved?

Berube: Sometimes. It depends on the situation. Sometimes, you are coming out of the lineup because we are going to put in a different player for different reasons, but there are times when a player needs to be better. We talk to them about that — what needs to be better, why, the situation, and the need to reset. We move on from there.

What was your message to Max Domi today? It seemed like you had a chat. 

Berube: I thought Max skated well in the game. He was attacking and shooting the puck more, which is good to see. We were just talking about staying in battles longer, using his body, and his physicality a little bit more in our own zone killing plays — and in the offensive zone, too, and winning battles.

He is a strong guy who has good skill. I like the way he is skating right now. He has to keep skating, attacking, shooting, and being direct. That is what we talked about.

Can you feel it weighing on offensive players like Domi when the offense isn’t coming?

Berube: Sometimes, offensive players, when things aren’t going well and they aren’t scoring, tend to stop working with the second and third efforts. You can’t do that stuff. You can’t wait for opportunities. You have to go earn them. You have to go get them.

It is like with the bounces. We didn’t get the bounces last night, but we have to work for them. You have to create your own luck.

What have you thought about Max Pacioretty’s season overall?

Berube: It has been really good at times. He is a player who has been injured for the last couple of years. He missed a lot of hockey. This has been a lot of hockey for him this year, and I think it has caught up to him a little bit.

We get a little reset here and there with him not playing a game, but he has done a lot of good things. I think he has been physical, has scored some goals, and he can score more. If he gets to the net a little bit more and keeps the physicality up, he is a hard player to play against.

He has been a good player for us a lot this year.

How could this spell of adversity help the team in the long run?

Berube: It could, for sure. Every team goes through it, and we are going through it right now. It helps you in the long run because you are probably going to run into it again and get out of it a little quicker or understand the situation.

It is tough right now, but we have to keep working and do some things better. That is what we try to show and teach our players, and the difference when we are doing things right — how we looked then and how we look now.

What do you like about Mitch Marner at the top of the power play?

Berube: He is so elusive up there and moves so well. He sees the ice extremely well. Very good at making plays in tight areas.

Last night, he shot from there, and it hit the post. He is not afraid to shoot it, and we need shots from the top. That is important on the power play. If you look at [Dallas’] goal last night, they didn’t get a shot, and then they shoot one from the top that goes off a guy and in.

Goals go in when you shoot pucks and are around the net. That’s the bottom line. We have to do a better job of that at five-on-five and on our power play.

You have returned to a building for the first time after being let go by your old club. What do you think it will be like for Sheldon Keefe tomorrow?

Berube: There are emotions, for sure. I think it was similar to when we played the Devils in New Jersey. There are emotions there.

He was here for a long time and did a fabulous job. He got close to a lot of people and players within the organization. Emotions kind of run up on you a little bit.

We all sign up for this job, and we all get fired at one point.