Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 2-1 overtime win over the New York Rangers, which improved the Maple Leafs’ record to 3-2-0.
On the team’s performance:
It was good to see the power play get a goal.
There were four penalties in the first period, so that really sums up that period for me.
In the second period, I thought we got caught extending our shifts and kind of lost our… I mean, they transitioned from defense to offense quickly and caught us on some odd-man rushes. I thought we extended our shifts in the second period.
In the third period, they had the momentum. We grinded it out, though. The goalie was good. We have to be better than that, but it was a win.
On the referees letting the play continue when Anthony Stolarz lost his mask in the third period:
Obviously, it is a judgment call by the referees. I think they felt that they had an opportunity to make a play quickly and maybe score, so they didn’t blow it down until after that little sequence.
I am not totally sure about all of that.
On whether the rule should be changed so the play is automatically blown dead when a goalie loses his mask, no matter what:
It is a tough call.
When your goalie loses his mask, he is in a very vulnerable position and a position to get really hurt. I don’t think anybody wants to see that — ever.
In my opinion, blow it down. But that’s me.
On the decision to keep Easton Cowan off the ice for most of the third:
It was about the game, in general, more than anything. I thought our team may have lacked a little energy tonight. I was trying to find some lines and some energy together. That’s all.
It’s been a lot of hockey here. We obviously play on Saturday again. We have to summon some energy here for that game.
On taking a timeout after the Rangers’ 1-1 goal:
We wanted to look at it closely. I wasn’t sure if Carlo touched it after the high stick. I called a timeout just because I wanted to be sure about it. It was a crucial time in the game. That is why I called the timeout.
Obviously, Carlo did touch it. It was a good goal.
