Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 2-1 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, which improved the Maple Leafs’ record to 10-10-3.
On the team’s performance:
Well, it was a good PK in the first period. The period was even, but we took three penalties. The guys did a good job killing the penalties, and the goalie was solid.
In the second period, I thought we were pretty good. It was a low-event period, but we played properly.
In the third, we were a little bit… not loose, but there were some situations where, with our puck play or situational play, we gave them some opportunities.
But we found a way to win the game, which is the most important thing. Our goalie was really good. The three guys who came in tonight after injury were pretty good for us tonight.
On Joseph Woll’s 35-save performance, and his play since returning from personal leave:
His battle was really good in the net. He fought. He fought through traffic and was seeing it really well tonight.
He looks sharp to me. He looks like he is on his toes and is seeing the play really well. He is playing a lot of pucks. He is definitely sharp right now and on his toes. That is what I see right now. He’s seeing the puck and is making some really good saves.
On the play of the Knies-Matthews-Domi line, and the decision to place Max Domi on the right wing:
It gets Max out of the middle and on the wing. They have familiarity. It is just the way I kind of evened the lines out tonight with some different looks. We had a checking line together. That is kind of my thought process there.
I thought Matty had a good game. He was competitive and worked extremely hard. He won a lot of battles. He was good.
On the quick response after falling down 1-0 in the third period, and if it can build confidence and character:
It can, for sure. That line did a good job and got us a goal back through Cowan. We ended up winning it in OT, but hopefully, we can get some swagger and confidence going into the next game. We’ll go from there.
On whether he is gaining more trust in Easton Cowan:
For sure. I think he is playing pretty good hockey. Are there mistakes? Definitely. He is a young kid. There will be mistakes, but he learns from them, in my opinion. He listens, and he wants to get better.
He has ice water in his veins. He doesn’t feel the pressure. He just plays. He knows his capabilities and what he can do.
On running a five-forward power play:
There was a certain point before Matthews got hurt when we rolled him up top. I just like the quickness that he can play with up there, and the shot going to the net with numbers there. He distributes the puck well, too, and moves it quickly. That was the thought process. It’s similar to last year.
There was some good stuff, but we gave up that rush. We have to be better there. We can’t dive in. We have to get back and help out. We can’t do that. We can’t make that play.
But I thought there were some good things. There were opportunities in the second period on the power play. We rolled into the middle there, and we are not looking to shoot right away. We are not looking to attack and shoot off these plays. We are looking for a better play at times, and we don’t need to.
Game Highlights: Maple Leafs 2 vs. Blue Jackets 1 (OT)
