Craig Berube | Post Game at Montreal Canadiens | November 22, 2025

What happened in the second period that allowed Montreal to kind of tilt things? Well, right off the first draw, we got an easy breakout. We don’t we just don’t make the easy play. Turn it over. Now they’re in our end. They make a couple plays, passes, you get a couple good looks. And that was basically what the period was. And then we took penalties because you’re in your end too much. So, we’re killing what we kill three in a row. Um, basically that’s was the second period. First goal. Well, it was a tough one. Like he kind of spun him. Stcher kind of spun him and then the shot was off like, you know, he wall, you know, probably wouldn’t have wouldn’t have got there. It was close. It was it was a it was a tough one. What did you make of Jason? Well, he was excellent. I mean, I pulled him there. was we were just giving freebies to him. I just said I had enough. Was that to wake up your team or save the whole thing? Both. You know, both. We’re down a goalie already, so both. I know there’s no magic bullet, but what do you think it will take to turn the team around? Well, I mean, it’s, you know, obviously getting some people back in the lineup, but, you know, we that definitely is going to help, but until we decide to, you know, dig in and play the right way for 60 minutes on a consistent basis, it’s going to be hard to pull yourself out of anything. You feel good strides with that last couple minutes? Well, yeah. I I would go back probably the last three games. I thought we made good strides. I didn’t mind our first period. I get there’s a couple, you know, a couple breakdowns, right? Um, and we’re down two nothing, but I don’t I just don’t understand um why we can’t go out in the second period and dictate how we’re going to play the period. That’s the difference for me. They dictated the game in the second period. They put their foot on the gas and took it to us. John, talk to you about the momentum in the second period. I don’t know if there’s a confidence issue if when the momentum was shifting that it kind of gets away. Well, what I’ve seen a few times this year is when, you know, we get down a couple goals at times. You know, this happened in the second period where, you know, we go out there and we just we don’t play we don’t play with any urgency or any confidence in a second period because we get down a couple goals and it’s like I don’t that’s an excuse all day long for me. This is a veteran hockey team. It it’s on it’s it’s inexcusable and it’s on me too that it’s you know it’s on all of us and um you know with a veteran team like that that shouldn’t happen. Jake McCabe upper body I you know I can’t I don’t know the timeline of it right now but bad enough he couldn’t come back and play. You mentioned it already with the injuries piling up. How difficult has that made it to build momentum for you this stretch? Well, it makes it difficult for sure, but again, like it is what it is. We This is what we have and we got to we got to be better. We got to be better. That’s the bottom line. I mean, we showed we can do it. These guys have been out for a while now. We played some pretty good hockey at times. There was no reason that, you know, that that didn’t happen tonight. And like I said, we came out with that mindset in the first period and did a pretty good job. Um, but can’t lose all the momentum because they scored a couple goals. Like, it’s just that’s like I said, we’re a veteran team and it’s inexcusable. Yeah. Thanks,

Head Coach Craig Berube speaks with the media following the Leaf’s 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

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23 comments

  2. Craigburt "The Cluless" Berboobie. Why don't you try swapping Joshua to the first line after Jarnkrok. Then maybe Maccellii and Domi. If incompetence was a brand – it would be Craiburt modelling the new OVO lineup. 🤦‍♂🤦‍♂🤦‍♂🤦‍♂🤦‍♂🤦‍♂🤦‍♂🤦‍♂🤦‍♂🤦‍♂🤦‍♂

  5. I know it's discouraging but there is a tiny ray of hope. They need to tank this year and start that process right now, no hesitation. The 2026 first rounder is top 5 protected. Go for Gavin McKenna. We need to trade players for even low draft picks (e.g., Domi, Macceli, etc.) and elevate AHL players in their place. Leafs need to do the best job at being awful that they've ever done. It's a tall order given our history but it can be done.

  6. Leafs is lacking ONE bonafide legendary goalie that can steal ANY game (Roy/Brodeur) and TWO defensemen (one stay at home and one Hughes/Karlsson type) to be a perennial cup contender. You can exchange Matthews and Nylander with McDavid/Draisaitl and it makes ZERO difference.

  11. Stop going to live games from this team that continues to not give a shit about us. Until we stop giving them money they aren't going to do anything for the fans. They'll continue to lose. Watch how fast management gets on their ass about putting together a winning team once they lose millions in ticket sales. Guarantee you see an entire roster change then. But we all need to collectively stop supporting this dumpster fire of a team at this point. This is the most pathetic display this team has put on in about 10 years. This roster has run its course. Its over. White flag. Throw in the towel. Stop the embarrassment. Please.

  19. “We gotta be better” How many times have we heard this statement from players and coaches over the years? What a joke, absolutely disgusting…what we need is for fans to boycott the home games, you watch how fast things change when they stop filling the building…

  21. Do you ever get that feeling that the lEafs organization couldn’t give two shot about the fans. They have designed a team not to push hard and just get by. That way low injury rates and there is no incentive to win the cup as they are a sell out every game and sell more merchandise than any other team. So the organization doesn’t push the team to win. Otherwise it will just cost them more. It’s all about the $ and not about the fans who support them. Prove me wrong.
    Knies came up from farm team during playoffs and was a work horse till he got injured from a dirty play. Now he’s good but does not give the same energy and drive like he did. The team dims down players instead of pushing the, to do better.

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