Head coach Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 4-0 loss to the Senators in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal playoff series.
On the team’s performance:
Good start. They got the first goal, and I thought they defended well after that.
We made a bad play on the power play. We had an opportunity on the power play to get it back. We have to be more direct there with our power play. I didn’t think our power play was direct enough tonight in shot volume and getting stuff to the net.
In the third period, that power play hurt us.
On the feeling amongst the group, given the past playoff heartbreaks in series-clinching situations:
I am not feeling anything. Our group was focused and ready to go. I liked our start to the game. I thought our first period was good. I don’t sense that at all. We are up 3-2 in the series.
On the performance of the Matthews-Marner line:
Not enough speed through the neutral zone with that line to create in the offensive zone off of that. They were just a little bit late on things and didn’t create enough stoppages in the offensive zone. It was one-and-done too much for me with that line in the offensive zone.
On whether Linus Ullmark could see too many of the Leafs‘ shots tonight:
I thought they had it jammed up with five guys right in front of the crease and in the slot area all night. I thought we forced too many things in there. We could’ve gone low-to-high and gotten a little bit of movement. Our D have to shoot pucks from the top when they can. The forwards’ job is to get in front of the goalie.
We killed a lot of our opportunities, I thought — probably more in the second period than any other period. We had time, we came out from behind the net, and we tried to force it into the crease area too much, killing our momentum by doing it.
We need to get in front of Ullmark, obviously. We have to get shots through from the point on him, and we have to have traffic to find some second and third opportunities around the net.
On shifting Max Domi onto the second line:
Just trying to create offense in the third period. Nothing else.
On whether he will address the group after the game:
Yeah, all the time. I always address the group after games in the playoffs.
On the message to the team tonight:
Stick with it. We are up 3-2 in the series. It is playoff hockey. There are a lot of ups and downs. We need composure. I talked about how we have to stay composed and poised.
We will figure out some things and be better next game, but that is what it is about. We are up 3-2 in the series, so we are confident. We are going to Ottawa, where we won a game already. That is about it.
On Ottawa scoring a few long-distance goals from the point in the last few games:
It is the way the game goes sometimes. On the shot tonight, Stolarz couldn’t see it.
We need to do a better job on the faceoff, and we have to have a block there or have guys clearing the net out so he can see the puck. One of the two.
I get that guys get positioning sometimes, but we need to block that shot or create room for our goalie.
