Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 5-3 win over the Utah Mammoth, which improved the Maple Leafs’ record to 8-5-1.
On the team’s performance:
Good, solid effort all around. I thought we played a smart game. It is a good team over there. They have a lot of good offense and fast players. I thought we did a good job of keeping them at bay for the most part.
The penalty kill was good, and I thought everybody contributed tonight in their own way.
On whether the team played more to its north-south identity:
I thought we did a good job of making good decisions with the puck, for the most part. There was a lot of zone time. We got on their defense and wore them down.
I understand it can get a little boring at times, but it is effective. Wear them down and stay patient. We did a good job of it last year. We have to get back to it, and we did tonight.
I thought we did a really good job; if you look at the shots, we only gave up 23, which is great. We had a lot more attempts, but we missed the net a lot tonight, so we could’ve had more shots on net.
On Matias Maccelli’s two-point performance:
I thought he was competitive all over the ice. He ended up getting one, but for me, it was about watching him and how he competed on pucks all night. I thought he was really good.
On the value of healthy scratching players:
I’d always say it is more positive than anything, for the most part. There are players who are scratched because of decisions that are made by the coach, bodies, and different lineups. Sometimes, like in Maccelli’s case, I thought he could give us more. And he did tonight from a scratch. It just depends on the situation.
On Dakota Joshua’s work before the Maccelli goal and his recent play:
I think he has been coming for a while now. He is back to playing the way I have seen him play before. He is a heavy guy down low in the offensive zone, and he can make plays at the net. That is where he is going to score his goals.
That is not only his game. He is physical every night, in my opinion. He is killing penalties. I use that line against teams depending on matchups.
For me, he and Roy have been trending in the right direction here for a bit.
On celebrating John Tavares’ milestone and Tavares scoring in the game afterward:
It is a great moment for him. It’s well-deserved, obviously, and we’re all very happy for him. It was great to see him get that one tonight.
As I said before, I’ve really enjoyed being around him and coaching him for the last year and a bit.
On the play of Auston Matthews since a few goals have gone into the net for him:
More energy and life. It feels like he has a lot more jump in his game.
On Anthony Stolarz shooting for the empty net at the end of the game:
I don’t mind it up two goals. He has to raise the puck a little higher. The guy who caught it is pretty tall.
On Scott Laughton’s first game back in the lineup:
Energy. I thought he and Lorentz provided a lot of energy along with Max. That line skated hard, was effective, and hounded. I really liked them tonight, and I liked our energy on the bench, too. There was a lot of chatter and talk. It was great having both of those guys back tonight.
On Easton Cowan getting sent down before the game:
I have been happy with Easton. He wasn’t going to play tonight, but for me, as a young player, he has shown that he can play in the NHL and be a good player in the NHL. It is just a process with him, a little bit.
You’d have to talk to Tre about those situations with that stuff.
