Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 4-2 loss to the Washington Capitals, which dropped the Maple Leafs’ record to 10-11-3.
On the team’s performance:
We did a good job getting the lead. We killed those penalties and scored off one. We had our looks, too. We just didn’t capitalize on some of them, and we made a couple of mistakes in the defensive zone in the third period.
On where the game got away from the team in the third period:
I don’t know if it got away from us. If you look at scoring chances, we out-chanced them in that period, but in the defensive zone, they had the one goal where we just didn’t seal up. We got stick lifted, first of all, and then they made a play up the wall to Ovi. We have to have that backdoor sealed up.
They got roaming around on that next goal, and again, a seam pass got us. It is a couple of seam passes they got us on there. We need to have better sticks and better coverage. And we have to finish. We had some opportunities to finish on some plays; I mean, we had three breakaways, and we have to finish. We didn’t finish.
On receiving zero power plays, and if it is on the officials or the team:
I don’t think it is on us. We worked and competed. We had good offensive-zone time. That is the way it goes sometimes. I don’t know what to say about it.
On the keys to keeping a positive disposition entering tomorrow’s game:
It is the only way you can look at it. Again, we will look at stuff, fix a few things, and keep going.
If we finish better tonight, we win this game.
On why he decided to scratch Max Domi:
Again, I have to look at the lineup and what is best for tonight. That is part of it. I talked to him about getting a reset. We will see about tomorrow, and if we get him back in.
On Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli’s return to the lineup after their healthy scratches:
I liked Joshua tonight. Maccelli did some good things with the puck at times. Other times, he didn’t; he didn’t get pucks out enough, and things like that. He did make some things happen in the offensive zone on some shifts.
I thought Dak was engaged and physical. I thought he was a pretty good player tonight.
