Head coach Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 5-4 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series.
On the game turning in the second period with the three consecutive Panther goals:
Yeah, they had a good second. We weren’t direct in the second. We turned over too many pucks. We allowed them to come back at us and play their game. We got hemmed in too much.
In the third period, we did our thing again. I thought we had a good third.
OT is OT.
On Joseph Woll’s performance:
I thought he was really good. I don’t love the fourth goal, but other than that, I thought he was solid.
On Chris Tanev withstanding a ton of hits in the playoffs, and how he is holding up physically after leaving the game briefly:
It was not from a hit. There was no real reason; it was something to do with equipment. It was nothing. He wasn’t hurt or anything.
They forecheck hard and are physical. That is the game. Can we get better hold-ups at times? Yes. I think it is important that we do that, but they are going to bang the body. That is what they do. They rim everything in. They are going to get on you, and they are going to be physical.
He is fine. It is part of the game. We are going to get hit, and we are going to hit. We just have to deal with it.
On the positive takeaway from the team’s response in the third period after a tough middle frame:
Just in terms of playing our game for the whole 60 minutes… We had a good first, I thought, and when we came out in the second, we had to be direct with what we do.
In the third, we got back to playing our game. We were pressuring and putting pressure on them. We were getting pucks behind them and going to work. We just have to continue to do that.
In overtime, we had our opportunities. We had offensive zone time and were doing things. It is a bounce. That is what happens in overtime, a lot of the time.
On the decision to go with Dennis Hildeby as the backup goaltender:
Murray was sick. That is why.
On the challenge posed by the Lundell-Marchand line:
I talked earlier about this line. It is a good line. With Marchand on the line, it just adds more creativity to it. He is a good player who makes plays. There are subtle little things he does on the ice. It makes it a more dangerous line offensively.
