Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, which dropped the team’s record to 33-20-2.
On the difference in the game:
Well, special teams. Overall, it was a good game — a competitive and fast game. They scored a power-play goal, and when we had a chance at the end, we didn’t get it.
On why it hasn’t clicked right away for the Nylander-Tavares-Marner line:
I don’t know. It is two games or not even a full two games.
For me, a lot of it is a guy getting in on the forecheck, getting to the net, and just being that kind of rock. They all want the puck a lot. It is a lot.
Hey, it wasn’t a big sample size. I made the switch right at the end of the second period. I juggled the lines in the third a little bit.
On whether we could see the Nylander-Tavares-Marner line again down the road:
Maybe. Who knows, right? We’ll see down the road what happens and where it goes. You re always kind of moving guys around and trying to find a little more offense. We couldn’t find the back of the net enough tonight.
On Morgan Rielly’s goal and recent play:
He has been really good. He had a chance earlier in the second, too, going in at the backdoor.
He is definitely moving better and activating more. He is looking to produce more.
On Joseph Woll managing the biggest workload of his career:
He has handled it really well, in my opinion. He has maybe toned his practice habits down a little bit — don’t overdo it, just get what you need, and stay a little more fresh. That is key for goalies a lot of the time.
He is a competitive guy, and from the past, while I wasn’t here, he got stretched out in practice at times with his compete. I think he has learned to manage that better and manage his body better.
He has played great for us and has been a really solid guy.
On his level of satisfaction with the 3-1-0 Western road trip:
Very satisfied. We played really good hockey.
Tonight was a competitive game. I thought they were a little bit better than us in the first, but I thought we were the better team in the second. The third was pretty even.
They are a good team over there. They work extremely hard. I thought our guys were very competitive tonight. The effort was there.
On the team’s goals coming out of the break:
We want to keep focusing on our play without the puck, for sure.
Now, there are other areas. Our power play has improved dramatically, in my opinion. They are creating momentum, even if they are not scoring.
We were pretty good on the PK this trip, but we are giving up goals lately on our PK, and we have to tighten it up, for sure.
When we get back playing again, it is going to be a grind. March is a really busy month. It is going to be a grind and a hard push. It is a very competitive league, and there are a lot of teams that are in it.
On what the Four Nations tournament could mean for Matthews, Nylander, and Marner:
They are pretty excited. It is a big stage. They are all on different teams, and they all want to win. They’re all important players on those teams. They are big-time players. I think it is going to be a great thing to watch. We’ll see what happens.
