On a rest day on Monday, head coach Craig Berube discussed Max Domi’s hit on Aleksander Barkov at the end of Game 4, Auston Matthews’ lack of goal production in the series, and Mitch Marner going two games without a shot on goal.
What was your perspective on the Max Domi hit on Aleksander Barkov at the end of Game 4?
Berube: Whatever. That’s the league’s…. I haven’t heard anything, so I don’t know. I doubt it. To me, the Kulikov hit on Marner was ten times worse.
"It's not a great hit, but honestly, it's also one you don't apologize for."
The panel weighs in on Max Domi's hit at the end of Game 4. pic.twitter.com/OWC9Y63Z9C
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 12, 2025
Did you get an explanation for why Dmitry Kulikov’s elbow on Marner went uncalled?
Berube: No, so…
Kulikov lands a high elbow on Marner pic.twitter.com/Xtf3d0kSUb
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 12, 2025
How do you feel about how the temperature is rising in the series?
Berube: It is normal. We expected it. I think we are fine with it. We are handling it. We are physical. I thought we were the more physical team last night.
Auston Matthews is generating chances, but what is the key to making a few of those fall for him?
Berube: He just has to keep playing. I get it, but he does a lot of other things in the game that really dictate things. He does a great job in a lot of other areas of the game. He just has to keep focusing on that.
He is going to get his looks. Just stick with what he is doing, and don’t get too frustrated with anything. It is not just about scoring goals. There is a lot of stuff he does extremely well for us.
A big goal is coming. That is the way you have to think about it. Just focus on playing the game. He is doing a good job, and he is doing a lot of good things for us. I get that the puck is not going in the net for him, but again, it is not all about scoring.
Is that the message that you reinforce with Matthews: it is not all about scoring?
Berube: 100%. He is out there killing penalties. He is going against top lines. He is checking, working, and competing. There is a lot of good stuff. Yeah, we would like him to score, and so would he. It is not easy to score in the playoffs. I am not overly worried about it.
The team has been able to reset all season, including in the last series. What has allowed the group to turn the page?
Berube: I think the group understands that it is going to be a tough series. We knew going in that it was going to be a long series.
We lost two in a row here, but we lost two in a row to Ottawa, too, and came out and got it done in Game 6. We’ll reset and be fine. We’ll get some rest here. The two days’ break is really good for our team. It takes a lot of energy in the playoffs, and a lot of guys play heavy minutes. We’ll take the two days to reset, and we’ll be ready for Game 5.
What is the key to staying out of the box against this Panthers team?
Berube: I don’t think it changes the direction we have already been going. Hard between the whistles. I think we have done a good job of not retaliating and getting involved too much. Things happen, and it is part of the game. There is nothing you can do about it. It is hard to avoid it all the time.
I think we are doing a good job of playing hard between the whistles, being physical, and initiating.
When considering potential lineup changes, how difficult would it be to get up to the level the series is being played at after a long time off?
Berube: It is not difficult in terms of the energy and the intensity coming in. They’ll be keyed up, ready, and rested. They’ll have good legs if we decide to go that route.
But I have liked the way our team has played. I really have. I don’t think there is a whole lot to change. As I said last night, they got four power plays in the first period, and they ended up capitalizing on one at the end. We got three power plays in the second period, and we didn’t capitalize. If we score, it is a 1-1 game. It is close. It is right there.
What was your takeaway from the team’s penalty kill in Game 4?
Berube: I think they did a great job. The goal that was scored — if we play it a little bit differently, they probably don’t score. Maybe we get out of all of those kills with no goals against. Our PK has done a pretty good job of blocking shots and pressuring. That is a good power play over there with a lot of skill. I am happy with our penalty kill.
What did you think about Joseph Woll’s performance in Game 4?
Berube: He was excellent in the game. He was really aggressive and made some big saves when we needed him to. He looked comfortable in the net.
Throughout the season, he has been a really steady goalie for us and has done a good job. On most nights or almost all nights, he has given us a chance to win the game. He did last night. He did a great job for us.
It’s been a couple of games without a shot for Mitch Marner. What are you seeing from him?
Berube: Sometimes, your top guys look for too good of a chance instead of just putting a puck on the net. There are times when we could put more pucks on the net at bad angles — just fire it in there with people going to the net. I think Mitch could be a little more direct in that area. He has the puck a lot. We know that. He has to look to put more pucks to the net.
I get what he is trying to do. He wants to upgrade his chance or upgrade the chance. He is a passer first — we know that — but we need him to shoot pucks. Two games without a shot… He has to shoot the puck.
What did you see from the power play in Game 4?
Berube: The execution was a little off. The first one was pretty good, but after that… We won the faceoff, but it wasn’t totally clean. We couldn’t get out of their pressure on it. They shot it down the ice. We didn’t enter the zone very well last night with the puck on our entries. They came hard with the pressure, and I didn’t think we executed well against the pressure, as we did in the game before.
