Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken, which dropped the Maple Leafs’ record to 3-2-1.
On the team’s performance:
Inconsistent, more than anything. When we wanted to play the right way and do the things, we were good. We had too many lapses in the game that cost us.
On Anthony Stolarz’s post-game comments that enough is enough and the team needs to start picking it up:
Yeah, consistency. We know how we can play. If we don’t put it together for 60 minutes, that is what you get.
On his level of satisfaction with how the team is standing up for its goalie when contact is made in the crease:
No, I’ve talked about it before. Not good enough. That play there happens at times. In general, I’ve said it: We are not clearing out the crease enough. We are not doing a good enough job there.
On whether it’s worth taking a two-minute penalty to defend the goalie:
I guess you can, if you feel like it at the time.
On whether he preaches to his team to protect the goalie:
Yeah, we have to protect our goalie. We have to be harder around our net. I am not preaching to go and take guys’ heads off, but enough is enough.
On the keys to clearing the front of the net:
We did a good job of it last year, so I am not sure what the key is. It is a willingness to do it, more than anything.
On whether he considered challenging the 3-2 Kraken goal for goaltender interference:
We looked at it. It wouldn’t have been goalie interference because [Carlo] pushed him into him too much. He was in the crease, but he didn’t touch the goalie until Carlo pushed him into the goalie.
On the team finally receiving more than two power-play opportunities in a game:
It was better. They missed a 5-on-3 with Max Domi; that is a trip all day long. At least we got some more power plays tonight, which is a good thing.
We did good things, but we are just inconsistent. We are not consistent enough in our game. We don’t play to our identity the whole game. That is really the bottom line to me.
On John Tavares becoming just the fourth player to reach 500 points with two different teams, joining Ron Francis, Wayne Gretzky, and Mark Messier:
It is an awesome feat that he accomplished.
I talk about him all the time, and his preparation and willingness to compete and play at the age he is playing at. Talk about consistency; he is consistent. He brings it every game with the effort and what needs to be done. He doesn’t take nights off.
That is why he is able to accomplish what he did.
On whether he is still trying to find the right fits on the top two lines:
Listen, it is not good enough or consistent enough. I am not seeing enough. I’ll move guys around, and I’ll switch lines up in-game if I have to. That is what I do.
On the losing goal in OT:
We didn’t do what we should’ve done to start with. We want to be in more of a wedge, so we don’t get beat by speed like that. We were too spread out in man-on-man. It is a difficult play for Willy, but he has to have that guy if he wants to man up like that. The guy skated by him, but that is not what we are supposed to do in overtime in that situation.
