Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers, which improved the Maple Leafs’ record to 12-11-3.
On the team’s performance:
Good win. I thought that everybody contributed tonight. The goalie was good. It was a solid game all around. We checked hard and were physical. A lot of good things tonight, so it was good to see.
On whether the team is playing at a higher pace in the last few games:
Yeah, tonight was probably one of the fastest-paced games we’ve played all year. I thought we just closed on people and checked. When we had pucks, we skated and attacked. Our forecheck was good tonight. Pace was really good tonight.
On the Joshua-Roy-McMann line:
They’re just on it. Joshua and McMann have been really good on the walls in our zone. Roy does a good job of being underneath and supporting.
They get the puck, and when they go down into the offensive zone, whether it is on an attack or they have to forecheck, they are heavy. They’re doing a good job with their sticks. They’re on people, and then they hang onto pucks in the offensive zone. They’re getting to the net and doing a good job. They’ve been really effective.
It’s very important. They take a lot of d-zone faceoffs. I match them up against people at times on the road. That big, heavy line really sets the tone for our team, I think.
On Troy Stecher’s impact since the waiver claim:
He is playing with a ton of confidence right now. He is very composed. He and McCabe look like they have instant chemistry right now, which is great. They are moving the puck extremely well.
When you talk about pace, Stecher plays with pace out there. He closes on people, he skates, and he gets up the ice. He is doing a lot of good things.
I didn’t know a ton about him, but when I watch him on the blue line in the offensive zone, he moves his feet extremely well and gets shots through.
You don’t know a guy until you get him, a lot of the time. You watch people play, and you watch other teams play, but until you get a guy, you don’t know the personality. You don’t know what he is all about. But this guy is a highly focused hockey player. He is very team-oriented. He brings a lot of energy to our team and a lot of pace to our team back there.
On his level of patience with the five-forward power play unit:
I became impatient quickly. Listen, I get it, but the game was tight, so I switched it up on the next power play. I am not going to put our team in that situation again.
The power play is working through things. It is tough right now. It’s not great. All we can do is keep working through things, and hopefully, something starts to really click, and it starts to get going in the right direction.
I don’t focus on percentages on the power play. I focus on how the power play helps us in-game, every game. It is not always about scoring; it is about creating momentum at times, too. Yeah, you want to score on it, and we need to start scoring on it, but at the same time, we have to keep working away, find some chemistry with some guys, and get it clicking.
On Scott Laughton breaking through with his first goal/point of the season:
It was great. They did a good job that shift. It was a good forecheck and a great play by [Lorentz] to throw it to the net right away. Laughts did a good job at the net.
Everybody contributed tonight. Everybody was engaged in the game.
