Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s 3-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, which dropped the Maple Leafs’ record to 1-2-0.
On the team’s performance:
It was a good, solid 60 minutes, in my opinion. I thought we controlled the play. There were plenty of opportunities to score. It didn’t go in enough. That is the bottom line.
We probably shouldn’t have given up the 2-on-1 goal.
On Easton Cowan’s performance:
I thought he had a great game. He made a lot of good plays with the puck. He made a good one at 6-on-5, too. That is why he was out there.
Five-foot plays all over the ice. He made a lot of them. He was very good on the forecheck. He has a great hockey IQ.
On Cowan’s improvement over this time last year:
Totally different player. Way more confident and direct. He’s skating way better.
On the Maccelli-Tavares-Nylander line:
I thought they were better, for me. They were in the offensive zone a lot. They started in the offensive zone a lot.
We still need more out of them. They have to score at some point. I still think they can be better, and they will be better.
On whether the team needs more out of Nylander and Matthews:
Auston is getting a lot of opportunities and is shooting the puck a ton. Willy needs more shots. He doesn’t have enough shots. In Detroit, he didn’t have many. He had one or two tonight.
We need more. He needs to attack and shoot more. He has to get on the inside more. We do need more out of him…
There are shifts and times when he is skating, but it is just not enough.
It is a little bit of the new linemates, but I don’t know exactly what it is. I’ll have a conversation with him and see where he is at and what is going on.
On Calle Jarnkrok scoring three goals in three games to start the season:
He is just working. He goes out every shift and just works. That is his game. He is in the right spot and has capitalized on some goals, which is great. It is great to get that secondary scoring from guys.
He has played really well.
On the power play’s 0-for-2 night:
The power play in Detroit was shooting and attacking. I thought they did the same tonight. That is one area where they are doing a good job, but the power play has to put it in the net.
On the early signs of a challenging Atlantic Division:
Detroit is a much-improved team. We talked about Ottawa and Montreal before. It is going to be a tough division.
