Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach
Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach

Ahead of Saturday’s game in Nashville, head coach Craig Berube discussed the decision to start Joseph Woll, Matthew Knies hitting 25 goals and 150 hits, Brandon Carlo’s acclimation to the new team, and the challenge against the Predators.

Morning Skate Lines – Mar. 22

With Nashville struggling right now, what do you need to do to make sure your team doesn’t take this game for granted?

Berube: You got any answers?

Just prepare like normal. Nashville’s special teams are very good right now. They are actually creating offense. They have some good players over there and are creating good offense.

We have to focus on our game, start the game on time, be direct, and not look at where Nashville is in the standings. It has nothing to do with it. The focus has to be on our team and the urgency that we need in our game right away, and the directness we need in our game right away with shooting pucks.

It is stuff we have talked about already, and we’ll talk about it again. It is all mental. Get yourself prepared for a hard game.

Now that he has had a stretch of games to adjust, how close is Brandon Carlo to the player you were expecting to get?

Berube: He is right there. There are still things he wants to do better and can do better, but overall, he has been a good defender for us. On the penalty kill, he has done a good job. He’ll just keep building his game. He’s right there where we expected.

Where does Carlo need to improve?

Berube: I think there are some puck movement aspects where he can see better or make the play quicker or better. That’ll come. Sometimes, it takes a while. It is not like he is the type of guy who is going to make all of these fancy plays, but it is just about directness and getting used to how we want to move it quickly and get going. That is one area where he can sharpen up a little bit.

Matthew Knies is scoring goals and also has 150 hits this season. What has allowed him to evolve this season?

Berube: He is taking another step and being that power forward we talk about. With his job and the role he is playing on this team, being physical is very important, with his skating and his strength, and getting in on the forecheck as he is. That has allowed him to get the physical hits that are needed. It is mostly on the forecheck. He forechecks extremely well. He gets in on top of people quickly, closes, makes contact, and wins a lot of those puck battles.

The stat about Knies scoring 25+ goals and throwing 150+ hits — how much does it speak to the uniqueness of the player?

Berube: He is very unique, in my opinion. There are not a lot of guys who can do what he can do. There are some guys who play that way, but not a lot, and he is in pretty unique company.

What made you decide to start Joseph Woll tonight?

Berube: I’m looking at his last game and where he is at, and I am just thinking ahead a little bit about upcoming games. I love the rotation. I know I played two guys in a row here and there a little bit, but I like the rotation. I just don’t feel like I want to get away from that yet.

With playoffs creeping up, how close do you feel you are to locking in a third line?

Berube: It is a little bit of a battle still. I think Max and Robby have played a ton together this year, and I moved Bobby McMann up. I work in pairs more than lines and always have. You have to mix things up once in a while, and we’ll move a winger here or there.

I still think that I really liked [Holmberg] with Tavares and Nylander for a bit. He did a really good job there. I feel like he can do the same job with these guys. There is a little more puck possession for these guys in the zone; he is good at that, getting the puck to Max or Robby or whoever, and they do their thing. That is what I am looking at with there with that line with Holmer on it.

Can you see Max Domi and Nick Robertson as a pair?

Berube: They’ve scored for us with some good secondary scoring, right? I think Max’s game has gone to another level. I think there is even more there.

Bobby McMann looks like an answer in the top six, but he is also a valuable piece in the bottom six.

Berube: We always looked at it throughout the season that way. You spread it out a little bit, but I think he has been a good fit when we put him there. When I’ve put him with those guys before, they’ve come through. We’re always tinkering around a little bit.

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