Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube defended goaltender Anthony Stolarz and criticized his players’ lack of protection around the crease following Saturday’s 4–3 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken.
The defeat saw Stolarz repeatedly run into by Seattle skaters, most notably Mason Marchment, without a strong response from his teammates.
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“No, I’ve talked about it before. Not good enough,” Berube said about the team’s commitment to protect Stolarz. “That [Marchment] play, that happens at times. But in general, we’re not clearing out the crease enough. We’re not doing a good enough job there.”
Berube emphasized that physical presence and defensive support around the net were supposed to be key parts of the team’s new identity.
“We’ve got to protect our goalie,” Berube said. “Gotta be harder around our net. I’m not preaching ‘go and take guys’ heads off,’ but enough’s enough.”
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The head coach’s remarks came after Stolarz voiced similar frustrations about being left unprotected and forced to defend himself.
“I’m not happy. Guys are gonna run me and I’m gonna try to stand up for myself,” Stolarz said. “It’s not fun. I don’t like having 225-pound guys laying on me. Hopefully, we learned a lesson here.”
Berube admitted Saturday’s events were part of a pattern that has followed Toronto since the start of the campaign.
“I’ve seen our goalie take knocks virtually every start this season,” Berube said. “We’ve talked about sticking up for one another, being a harder team to play against. Right now, that’s not happening.”
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Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz (41) sprays water on his face.Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Toronto fell to 3–2–1 with the defeat, just behind the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens in the Atlantic Division. Despite the standings, Berube made it clear the team’s approach must change immediately.
“We know how we can play,” Berube said. “We don’t put it together for 60 minutes, and that’s what you get.”
The Leafs are off until Tuesday, when they will host the New Jersey Devils in Toronto, with puck drop set at 7 p.m. ET.
Related: Maple Leafs’ John Tavares Joins Wayne Gretzky in Exclusive Four-Player Club
Related: Anthony Stolarz Blasts Maple Leafs Teammates After Kraken Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the NHL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.