Craig Berube addressed the media after his team’s come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, which improved the Maple Leafs’ record to 7-5-1.
On the level of frustration with the team’s 3-0 deficit after 40 minutes:
I didn’t think the first period was that bad, but we made a mistake on the first goal. The second goal is a bounce.
What upsets me is that we come out for the second period down 2-0, you think we are going to make a push, and we didn’t. They controlled the whole period with the puck.
On his message to the team during the second intermission:
It doesn’t matter what I said. That’s in the room. I am not going to talk about that.
On how the team turned it around in the third period:
We just got back to playing our game. Obviously, the Willy, Matthews, and Knies line went out and did what they’re capable of doing. And our goalie was good.
On why the team struggled to find a 60-minute effort:
I have no clue. I don’t have an answer for that right now.
As I said, in the second period, they got the puck and did whatever they wanted with it. We didn’t check anybody or knock anybody off the puck. When we did get it, we gave it back to them. They just kept coming back down our throats.
It’s not good enough.
On the team’s 25 blocked shots (to Pittsburgh’s five):
Yeah, and at the end, Carlo laid it on the line there with the goalie out with a couple of blocks. There were some good blocks by our D. They did a good job there.
On how he wants the group to feel coming off of this type of performance:
This happens throughout the season, and it is a good comeback win, right? The guys played in the third and did what they were capable of doing. They came back and won the game. That’s a good feeling.
But you have to understand that you are going to get down in this league at times by a couple of goals or whatever — bounces and whatever else happens. It is the response that is needed to get back in the game.
Now, we got the response in the third. I don’t understand why we didn’t get it right away in the second. That’s the frustrating part.
It’s all mental for me. It’s all mental for me. It has to be better. It’s the bottom line.
