Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach
Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach

Ahead of Thursday’s game against the Rangers, Craig Berube discussed Steven Lorentz sitting out as a healthy scratch, the team’s response to Easton Cowan taking a few “cheap shots” versus the Predators, and the challenge against NYR.

Morning Skate Lines – October 16

Note: Maintenance for William Nylander (expected to play)

Where do you stand with Steven Lorentz? 

Berube: Well, he is available. I just didn’t want to change the lineup… The last few games have been really good. We are just going to keep the lineup the same, and that’s all it is. He is an important player — we all like him and want him — but sometimes, these are the decisions a coach has to make. They are not easy for the guys who aren’t playing.

Auston Matthews said he felt Easton Cowan took a couple of cheap shots the other night. How do you want your team to react to it, if it keeps happening?

Berube: I think they will figure it out and handle whatever the situation is that needs to be handled. At the same time, we got a power play on the one, so you can’t react to that. It is important to stay disciplined.

All scenarios are different when it comes to this. With our team, I am not too worried about it. I think our team will stand up for each other and get in there. I know they will. They did it last year, and I expect them to do the same.

At the same time, it is situational. We got a power play out of it. The power play’s job is to make them pay.

Matthews: “[Cowan] handles [the physicality] really well”

Q: How do you think Cowan has held up physically so far?

Auston Matthews: Good. He is a smaller guy, but he is not afraid of the dirty areas. He took a couple of cheap hits — the one going to the net, and stuff like that — but he is strong. He is deceptively a lot stronger than he maybe looks. He has handled it really well. He understands the nature of moving up and playing at this level. There are a lot of big, strong guys out there, and you have to protect yourself. He does a good job of that.

With all of these home games front-loaded in the schedule, does it raise an eyebrow for you? Is it an opportunity to establish yourself at home?

Berube: I think so, for sure. You always want to be a good team at home and make it a tough building to come into for other teams. It is a good opportunity for us with the number of home games in a row here.

What kind of challenge are you anticipating from the Rangers?

Berube: They’ve got a lot of good players — we all know that — and their goaltending is strong, obviously. They have high skill and can make plays. That is the biggest threat that I see with them.

Now, with the coach, they have a bit of a new style and a new identity of how he wants them to play. I think they will be a more aggressive team in general under [Mike Sullivan]. They will come at you harder.

At the same time, we have to focus on our game and take care of business. We talk about checking, and we have to check tonight. If we check and do a good job, we’ll get offense, but we have to make sure we are tight on people and aren’t giving too much time and space out there to the Panarins, Zibanejads, and so on.

We have to get to our game early against these guys and keep it for 60 minutes.

What do you see in the way the Rangers are defending compared to last year?

Berube: I see more aggression defending out of the offensive zone with them. Their defensemen are tight. They are going to be down on you. They are reloading hard. It is a faster game, I believe.

Sully’s defensive zone is a lot like ours, I would say. They will take care of the middle of the ice, box people, and get into them in their own zone.

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