Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, which improved the team’s record to 50-26-4.
On the team’s performance after a slow start to the game:
We weathered the storm in the first. It is not unusual for that team to do what they did. It is just about harder plays with the puck in the second, winning more battles, and being more direct. We did a way better job in the second.
In the third period, everything was fine, and then we took a four-minute minor. We almost got it killed, but they got one back.
I thought the second and third were good.
On the team’s ability to keep games tight before separating as it goes on:
It is going to be tight. We know that. You have to have composure. In the first period, we maybe didn’t have as much composure as we needed, but it got a lot better in the second and third.
On Joseph Woll’s performance, and the challenge of deciding on a playoff starter:
He was solid.
I don’t know if it is a challenge. It is a good thing. We have two guys capable of doing the job.
On William Nylander scoring his 45th of the season:
He has scored goals all year for us. He has been great.
He had a real good game in the second and third. That line was good in the second and third. I put Max up there tonight with those guys, and they ended up getting a couple of goals, so it was [positive].
It is what we need out of him. We need him to produce but also do the job defensively.
On the decision to shift Calle Jarnkrok down onto a line with Scott Laughton and Steven Lorentz:
I didn’t feel there was enough going on in the last couple of games, so I made the switch.
I thought the Laughton-Jarnkrok-Lorentz line really did a great job tonight of dictating how we need to play the game and being a hard line to play against. They did a good job and provided a lot of energy for us.
I knew I needed minutes out of these guys. I got the minutes out of them.
On Dakota Mermis’ season debut (15:11):
He was solid. He was really competitive. He just made the hard puck plays he needed to make, blocking shots and being competitive. He was solid.
On shifting Brandon Carlo next to Mermis and Morgan Rielly with Philippe Myers, and whether it was to balance out the experience on the pairs:
Yeah, pretty much. We were rotating them around a little bit in situations.
It was a good team win, I thought. It is not an easy building. They have a great home record, and they put you on your heels.
I thought we weathered the storm in the first and handled them after that in the second and third.
On the team completing its final back-to-back of the season:
I am proud of the group for how they responded this year. I think our record was 10-4-2 on back-to-backs this year. It’s a pretty good record. It is tough a lot of the time with the travel and where you are at (in the schedule).
The guys have done a good job of being smart, playing the right way, defending, and not opening it up too much.
Morgan Rielly on the team winning so many tight-checking games: “It’s not something that we’ve done a lot in the past… It’s a good feeling.”
Rielly: It’s big. It’s not something that we’ve done a lot in the past, but if you look at games recently, it’s all been close. That’s what we’re expecting here moving forward.
It’s a good opportunity for our guys to get comfortable. It can be nerve-wracking when you’re in these close games. The more you do it and the more you are able to execute and just rely on your structure and end up on top, it’s a good feeling.
