Head coach Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 3-2 overtime victory over the Senators in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal playoff series.
On the team’s up-and-down performance:
It was great to see that goal by Max. It is obviously a great play, and Benoit made a great play on it.
The first period was really good. I liked our start a lot. We came out playing on our toes. We got to our forecheck. We were aggressive. We got a good lead. The power play came through again.
In the second period, they were the better team. We didn’t make plays. We looked like we were just protecting the lead a little bit. We didn’t make plays, advance it, and get into the offensive zone enough. We took a couple of penalties.
The third period was fine. We were in good shape. The goal was the first shot we gave up in the third period. We were playing the right way and doing the right things. It was a mistake, and mistakes happen, but we stayed with it and ended up getting the win.
On his frustration level with the team’s second-period play in this game:
In the second, we stopped skating and watched a little bit. We stopped making plays.
It is frustrating, but at the same time, as a coach, we are asking our players to be composed, so I have to be composed, too. I talk to them about things, try to motivate them on the bench, and try to get them going and skating again.
It was a funny period. There were a lot of different matchups going on and whistles. We took a couple of penalties. There were certain guys who didn’t hit the ice and get out of rhythm a little bit.
We definitely have to play better in the second period.
On Max Domi coming through with a big game-winning goal in OT after an up-and-down season:
He works hard. He is always trying to improve and work with the skill guys in practice. I am very happy for him to get that goal. It is a big goal, obviously, and it is a great feeling to score one of those. I’ve got a couple.
I am very happy for him. He is a hard worker. I thought he had a good game tonight overall. He was skating. I always say that when Max skates and attacks, he is on his game.
DOMI OT WINNER TO WIN GAME 2 vs Senators courtesy of @Bonsie1951 and @Jim_Ralph (4/22/25) pic.twitter.com/jGbJGbmh2F
— Maple Leafs Hotstove (@LeafsNews) April 23, 2025
On Morgan Rielly’s playoff performances so far (two goals in two games):
I don’t think it is different in the playoffs than it was in the last 20 games or so. He is up in the play more, as I’ve talked about.
Playing with Carlo, I think he feels very comfortable with his partner. They have good chemistry together. I think he is freed up a little bit to do his thing offensively.
On the lessons a young goaltender can take from Stolarz’s rise to his current position:
I had him at the start of his career in Philly, but he was just getting going in the pro game.
When you go through your career how he went through it, you are kind of always feeling like a backup and not a starter. It is still a valuable position.
He is coming off a really good season last year when he won the Stanley Cup. He came in this year wanting to be a starter. I know it was a shared net for most of the year. A lot of the reason for that is that we had two guys who hadn’t played a significant number of games throughout the season. I liked the combination of both of them.
He has been excellent all year. He got injured there, and coming back from the injury, it took him a bit to establish himself again. But he is doing the job for us now.
On Stolarz sticking up for himself against Ridly Greig and taking a roughing penalty:
I think it gets annoying after a while, right? I have seen that with goalies before. I really don’t have a problem with it.
On Pontus Holmberg drawing another key penalty, leading to the 2-0 goal:
He draws a lot of penalties. He is very good at that — one of the best.
I talk about Pontus, and to me, his game has gone to another level in the last 20 or so. He is way more aggressive. He has the ability to hang onto pucks, keep pucks, and win battles, but for me, the skating part of it has gone to another level. He is not waiting to be safe. He is just going now. He is skating.
I thought he had a really good game tonight. He was strong on it in the corner, helping out, battling, and doing lots of good things. He was at the net most of the night, too, for the line, which is important.
On whether he came close to challenging Ottawa’s 2-2 goal in the third period:
Well, Stutzle was coming in, and he wasn’t over the blue all the way yet when the puck was fired in. It looked like it hit him. We couldn’t really identify it immediately, so we called a timeout so our video guys could take a little bit more time to look at it.
We made the decision that it did not hit him.
