Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 7-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens in the third game of the preseason.
On his biggest takeaways from the victory:
All five guys, when they were on the ice, were really checking. We didn’t give them any time or space tonight. We were on top of them.
That is a good team. They have quick players and skill.
Our forwards worked extremely hard on the backcheck, and our D were tight with their gaps. We didn’t give them anything. That is what stood out to me, more than anything.
The guys were really connected all over the ice and managed the puck. Everything was out of our zone quick and through the neutral zone quick. We put it in deep and went to work.
It was a good working game.
On the productivity of the Lorentz-Laughton duo in preseason:
They have good chemistry. Cowan has fit in really well with them. He understands the game well.
They just grind teams down. They work it down low. They were rewarded with putting pucks at the net. They go in, and they off people.
It is a pretty simple brand of hockey that they play.
On Bobby McMann’s performance:
That is what we want from Bobby. It started last year. He has the ability to score goals with his shot, but he can become a real threat on the forecheck with his speed, big body, and ability to take the body. He played a good all-around game, which was good.
On the NHL lineups losing to the “bubble player” lineups in preseason so far:
A lot of times, you put a good lineup together in preseason, and they go out and play good hockey, but it is more about touches for them and the timing of things.
We had a working lineup tonight, and they just worked and competed. It’s young guys and guys trying to prove themselves. You are getting a good effort for them, for sure.
We had guys in the lineup tonight for whom it was their first preseason game. They’re young guys without much experience, but I thought they looked experienced. They played simply and played the right way. They got results from it.
There was a lot of effort out there from our team. That is the bottom line.
Game Highlights: Maple Leafs 7 vs. Canadiens 2
Goal scorers: Scott Laughton x2, Steven Lorentz x2, Bobby McMann, Matt Benning, Ryan Tverberg
