Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, which dropped the Maple Leafs’ record to 17-15-6.
On the team’s performance:
It was a hard-fought game. I liked a lot of our game tonight. The guys competed hard. It was a good game both ways.
The goalie was good. There was a lot of good. We could’ve executed on a couple of plays better.
On Dennis Hildeby’s misplay of the puck in overtime before Detroit’s game-winner:
He is trying to do the right thing. It didn’t work out.
HILDEBY LOBS UP A PIZZA AND EDVINSSON FINISHES THE GAME! pic.twitter.com/yni6zdLL7g
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) December 29, 2025
On the execution on the power play (1 for 2):
It was a big goal for us. The power play looks a lot more confident, making plays and moving it quickly. It is not static.
It is a combination of the execution and a different mindset.
On Nick Robertson’s performance (one goal, three shots):
Nicky is skating and attacking. He is doing a lot of good things. He is hounding everywhere. He is getting his opportunities; he scored a goal tonight and had a couple of other chances.
It is all work for him. When he is skating and working, he is a good player.
On Bobby McMann’s performance:
He has done a good job with that line. He gets to a lot of pucks with his speed. He gets it stalled, and then Matty or Max gets in there. They get the puck back, and they have offensive-zone possession time a lot more than they’ve had.
He has done a good job with that line.
On the team collecting five points out of the last six:
It’s good. This game was a hard-fought game. Detroit played well, too. I thought our first period and most of the second… In the last five minutes of the second, they started to push a little bit, and we turned pucks over and couldn’t get out of our zone. Other than that, it was a good game.
I thought our guys came in with the right attitude in the back-to-back games. They competed hard and worked. There were a lot of good things, but we fell short by one point.
On conceding the 1-1 goal late in the second period:
In the second period, we turned a couple of pucks over in the neutral zone and a couple in our defensive zone. We just have to make simpler plays. And then we got extended in our zone, and they ended up scoring.
On whether the team is starting to play the style of hockey more reminiscent of the team he envisioned this season:
For sure. I think the puck play has been a lot better. That is where it starts. We are making plays and doing the right things with the puck. We are connected in all three zones, and that goes a long way.
Our game looks good right now. We just have to keep going. We have a game on Tuesday against Jersey, so we just have to get prepared for that.
On whether Dennis Hildeby will receive starts beyond just the one back-to-back situation in January:
You are going to have to. If you look at the schedule coming up — the January schedule — there are a lot of games. You are going to need two goalies. I’ve always said that, although it depends on the team and who they have.
He is going to get his fair share of games.
