Ahead of Game 1, head coach Craig Berube discussed OEL’s return to the lineup, preparation for the Senators, and the excitement of the first playoff game day of the season.
Morning Skate Lines – Apr. 20
So, this is what we expect to see from the Leafs in Game 1:
Knies – Matthews – Marner
Domi – Tavares – Nylander
McMann – Holmberg – Robertson
Lorentz – Laughton – JarnkrokMcCabe – Tanev
Rielly – Carlo
Benoit – Ekman-LarssonStolarz starts
Woll@TSN_Sports— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) April 20, 2025
What does the return of Oliver Ekman-Larsson do for the team, and what has he brought to the team this season?
Berube: He has been a very good player in this league for a long time. He has the experience of winning a Cup with what he went through there. He has been a really good all-around defenseman for us in all situations.
He is very versatile. We’ve moved him around with different partners. We’ve played him on the right side, on the power play, and on the penalty kill. He is a guy we really count on in different situations and in different roles. He is very accepting of it and handles it well.
How does coaching a team to a Stanley Cup in the past help you as a coach in this situation today?
Berube: It definitely helps with the experience of coaching in the playoffs, what to expect, how to keep your team composed and calm, and how to talk about the things that come up game to game and shift to shift. It is important to have composure. There are a lot of things that go wrong and right. Discipline is important.
There are a lot of playoff debuts on the other side of this series tonight. How much can experience be an advantage, in your opinion?
Berube: I don’t really look at it like that. As I said, it is a good team over there. They’ve earned every right to be in the playoffs with the way they played this year and what they have accomplished.
We just have to be ready for what is going to come with them. The team is going to come hard and is going to push. They have a lot of good players over there. They play a good, disciplined style of game. That is what I am focused on.
When you wake up on the morning of Game 1 of the playoffs, what are the emotions?
Berube: I am excited. I am excited for it, for sure. It is what you play all year for: to get to this situation with the opportunity to compete in the playoffs. We have done that, so we are here.
I am excited and focused on what we need to do to prepare the team in the best way. We do what we can do, but ultimately, they have to go on the ice and play.
Did you catch the first couple of games of the playoffs last night? Does it help get you and the players into playoff mode?
Berube: I watched both games.
It is physical, right? That is what I see: physical hockey. If you watch the Blues game and how physical St. Louis was in the first two periods, that is what you have to expect in terms of the battle and the compete out there. That is playoff hockey.
With Brady Tkachuk, do you single him out and talk about how to handle him, or do you not focus on individual players?
Berube: We talk about players on the other team, for sure. It is something we go over with not only him but their team. Individuals have certain tendencies, and you go over what to expect with them. He was definitely talked about.
What do you remember about coaching David Perron, and what does he bring to this series?
Berube: He is a very competitive person. He is a gamer more than anything. David is a real gamer and a competitive guy. He wants to win; he really does. That is what he brings, along with the ability to put the puck in the net. He has a great shot. He is a great team guy and a very competitive person and player.
Is there anything you want the team to remember about the regular-season series, or is it kind of thrown out by this point?
Berube: It was talked about. We went over some things and looked at what we could’ve done better or what we didn’t do well enough. In the first game, they were very good against us. In the last two games, they were really low-event, tight games that could’ve gone either way.
There are certain things you take out of that, but in the end, it is the regular season. You have to look past that, get ready for tonight, and not focus on those games.
What does Ottawa do best as a team?
Berube: I think they checked really well this year, in my opinion. Their structure is excellent. They have a good identity of how they want to play the game. They go to the net hard and are around the net hard. They are a physical team that challenges you in all zones very well. They are going to confront you.
They have some great players with skill — two on the backend, and a number of them up front. You are not going to get any easy ice against them. None. It is going to be a battle.
What stands out about the level of physicality your team has played with this season?
Berube: It is important. Again, it is about identity, right? We wanted to instill an identity from the start of the season, and I think we have done that. It has gotten better and better over the year.
It is going to be physical. You have to be able to accept the physicality. They are going to come at you and be physical. You have to be disciplined and understand that you have to win those battles. On the other side, we have to be physical, and if we have the opportunity to get into guys and be physical on them, we have to. That is playoff hockey.
