Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach
Craig Berube, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach

Ahead of Saturday’s game against Ottawa, head coach Craig Berube discussed Easton Cowan’s return to the lineup, the team’s struggles in the goals-against column, and the message to the team after two rough losses in Florida.

Why is now the right time to get Easton Cowan into a game?

Berube: Coming off the break, we had won three in a row. I stuck with the same lineup. When Dakota Joshua came back, I put him back in. I just feel like it is time to get him back in now. I don’t want him sitting out. He obviously needs to play. He is a young kid and a good player.

At the time when I took him out of the lineup, going back to his Seattle game, I just felt like he was a little overwhelmed. I wanted to give him a break. We were winning games, so I didn’t change the lineup.

When Cowan isn’t playing, how much value is there in him remaining around the team?

Berube: There is a lot. He works on his game in practice. He works on his game. The coaches are working with him. He is watching the game from up top. It is not a bad thing. At the same [time], for a 20-year-old kid like him with a lot of ability and upside, we have to play him, too.

Has it been an issue to keep the team upbeat after a couple of losses coming out of the break?

Berube: Going into the games after the break, it was a real good feel. The guys were upbeat. We obviously didn’t perform well enough in the games. There is a lot of good in the games, but it is not consistent for 60 minutes. That is the message: We need 60 minutes.

I get that it is hard. There is a lot going on with the trade deadline, and there is a lot going on with where we are at as a team, but it is just about focusing on the process. That is all you can do. We can’t control these other things. We can control playing better.

We just have to focus on tonight’s game and playing a better 60-minute game. We can’t get behind two or three goals. You can come back in those games, but it is difficult. Getting the lead is important.

Why has there been such an increase in goals against this season compared to last?

Berube: That is a good question. I can run through a list of things we’ve looked at and come up with. We’ve made adjustments, and the adjustments we’ve made have worked; the players have done a good job of handling that, and it is not always easy to make adjustments in-season, systems-wise. But they’ve done a good job of it, and we get on a good roll where things are going, but it again finds the back of our net too much.

There are a lot of mistakes—individual, puck play, and other things. It has probably been the biggest downfall in our game from last year.

How much do you lean on the veteran players in the room to try to lead you out of this?

Berube: For sure, we have a lot of guys who have been around the game for a long time. They’ve been through this before. They’re important guys in the locker room, to make sure the message is getting across. The guys are coming out for the morning skate with good energy and life. That is important. Again, we have to turn the page and focus on Ottawa tonight.

Morning Skate Lines – Feb. 28

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