Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils, which dropped the Maple Leafs’ record to 3-3-1.
On where the game got away from the team:
In the second period, we put ourselves in a hole, obviously. It’s been a concern this year. We don’t manage the game in the second period.
On the decision to challenge for goaltending interference on the 1-1 goal early in the second period:
We thought he was in the blue paint and our goalie couldn’t get position.
It is always tricky. It is 50-50 a lot of times. It is what it is.
On the high number of odd-man rushes against:
Reads, for sure. Our defensemen are just standing in there or jumping in there and not reading what is coming at them. We’re late sometimes with our reloads, and one of the biggest things is turnovers.
We have to be smarter. Our D have to be smarter. They have to read the play. They can’t be going all out.
They’re a quick team. It is a quick transition team. We talked about how they’re a good rush team, and they blow out of the zone.
In the first period, we were fine. In the second period, we didn’t follow it. We shot ourselves in the foot.
On how the team can spend less time in its own end:
It is a good team over there with a lot of speed. They’re dynamic in the offensive zone, and they get it moving around.
The biggest thing: When we get opportunities, whether they put the puck in deep or whatever, you have to get in there and kill that play right away with numbers. We are slow to do it. They get moving around in our zone, and once Hughes and these guys get moving around, they’re dynamic, and they’re hard to stop.
They shoot a puck, and we didn’t recover it. They beat us. They were quicker.
On what’s preventing the Matthews line from getting rolling:
It is a good question. Early on in the season, they were getting their opportunities and looking pretty good. Now, it is obviously not good enough.
I don’t feel like they have any sustained pressure in the offensive zone at all. It is one and done or out. They don’t have any sustained pressure in the offensive zone.
On whether there could be a long road of experimentation to find the right fit for the top line:
It could be, but I am getting tired of it, to be honest with you.
On whether he is concerned about team speed:
I don’t think speed is an issue on our team. When we play the right way and we play direct, we look fast. When we don’t want to play that way, we look slow. That is really what it boils down to.
Are there teams that have more speed than we do? Yeah, there are, but at the same time, that is why we talk about playing predictable and direct, so you can look fast. Right now, we are not consistently doing it enough.
There are a lot of guys who played a good hockey game tonight, I thought. They did a lot of good things. But we don’t have enough of them. If we don’t have everybody going, on the same page, and doing the right things, it’s going to look like tonight.
On whether the power play presses more when it gets few opportunities:
I don’t believe that is the case. On the second PP, they had some looks. I don’t feel like they are pressing on the power play.
If anything, on the power play, I like what I saw on the second one with the urgency, getting pucks to the net, recovering them, and getting the penalty kill tired.
I don’t feel they’re pressing on the power play at all.
On Chris Tanev’s status and if he might miss time:
Upper body. It’s a possibility (he’ll miss time).
Game Highlights: Devils 5 vs. Maple Leafs 2
