Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 3-2 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks, which improved the Maple Leafs’ record to 25-21-9.
On how it feels to end the six-game losing slide:
Good. It was a great effort by our team. It’s great to have Willy back. We got it done. It took a bit, haha.
On the boost provided by William Nylander:
I thought he was really good tonight. He skated extremely well, competed, and created offense. Overall, hearing him on the bench talking, he brings leadership and things like that.
I thought he elevated everybody on the team, to be honest with you.
On the team’s third-period effort:
We talked before the period about how it had to be our best period of the year. For me, it was pretty close. We had the puck the whole period and couldn’t find the back of the net.
On the chaos of the three-on-three overtime period:
Too chaotic, at times. That three-on-three sometimes gets a little wild, but Woll made some big saves. He made a huge save late in the third period when they had an odd-man rush. For me, that is a save that wins the hockey game.
On whether he has ever called a timeout prior to a penalty shot before, as he did in overtime before Auston Matthews’ attempt:
No, that was the first time. He needed it.
On Matthews breaking through on his second penalty-shot attempt in the shootout:
To be honest with you, I haven’t talked to him, but what I saw from the first to the second attempt, and what Willy did on his attempt — I think he followed the same suit there, with a little move to his backhand on the second time.
On the boost the slump-busting win provides to the group:
For the last two games, as I said in Seattle, you win a lot of those games. That was a pretty good effort by us. We controlled a lot of the game. We did again tonight. We just have to keep building off that.
It is a good feeling in there right now after losing six in a row. It’s tough, but they worked their way out of it tonight, in my opinion. They weren’t going to be denied tonight.
On the importance of Joseph Woll to the team’s success:
Well, it’s huge. Both of our goalies are. In this league, you need solid goaltending night after night. We had that combination going last year, all year. It put you in a really good spot.
We need both of them to play well.
On Morgan Rielly’s status after leaving the game before the third period:
Upper-body. He’ll be looked at tomorrow.
