Photo credit: Toronto Maple Leafs – YouTube
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach summed up the team’s issues with one simple statement as he’s continued to nail down consistency in his lineup.
Saturday night’s game vs. Pittsburgh was a game that the Maple Leafs desperately needed this season. A 7-2 win that had all four lines contributing one way or another, with solid defense and goaltending behind them should make them feel great about heading into Tuesday’s matchup vs. Florida.
But playing consistently, game in and game out, continues to be an issue, and the Maple Leafs need to come into Florida with the same energy they had against Pittsburgh — and with last year’s playoffs still fresh in the minds of fans — it’ll be a must-watch game.
How Berube’s comments put the focus back on effort, not excuses
Craig Berube is still searching for that consistency and in trying to nail down what the issues are, he may have had a breakthrough.
Speaking to reporters after Saturday’s win against the Penguins, Berube was blunt in his assessment of what the team needs to do in order to be even better, and it starts in their own zone.
Berube mentioned after the game:
The biggest thing for me in D-Zone right now is killing plays. We’re just a little light in that department. We’re not quick enough & not heavy & physical enough, whether it’s your stick battles or just being physical.
For a team that stressed so heavily about getting bigger and stronger, they have had a hard time controlling opponents and keeping themselves out of danger.
Far too often will Toronto lazily try and dump the puck out, or find opponents crowding the net and be unable to clear them out. It’s caused a lot of headaches and a major reason why the team has given up so many goals and high-danger chances.
So far this season the Maple Leafs rank second in giveaways to opponents with 385 with 46.23% of their giveaways in their own zone (all stats according to MoneyPuck). Couple that with them spending nearly 43% in their own zone (per NHL EDGE) — they have a real issue with clearing the puck.
And there’s also the shot attempt issue, with the team giving up 118 more unblocked shot attempts to opponents than they have taken. Even if one-quarter of those shots get blocked or deflected (or not even happen at all) then it would cut down on the goals against.
Why the Maple Leafs’ veterans are the ones this message is really aimed at
Berube’s comments about the team not playing heavy enough stand out, because on paper this is one of the bigger, heavier teams in the league.
Taking the goalies out of the picture, Toronto has 12 players who are over 210 pounds, with some of the heaviest being Matthew Knies at 232 pounds, Brandon Carlo at 227 pounds, and even Morgan Rielly at 219 pounds.
Plus you have veterans like Nic Roy, Dakota Joshua, and Steven Lorentz who are all pushing nearly 6’5 and over 200 pounds as well. This is a team built to push around opponents and firmly place themselves in front of both their net and the opposition’s.
As we saw Saturday, the grit and hustle and hard work of winning battles, board fights, and relentless forechecking can create a very dominant showing for Toronto and this is what the team envisioned. It’s not about fighting or being tough — it’s about winning the tougher battles within the game itself.
We saw a much different Maple Leafs defensive structure on Saturday, where the team was more composed and aware, and a lot of that had to do with the veterans finally stepping up defensively — they weren’t just a group of ‘warm bodies.’
If they can continue that trend then it could pay off huge for the team going forward and perhaps they can quiet the incessant chatter about whether or not the team is truly built tough — especially with a critical stretch against Florida and other Eastern contenders coming up.
Previously on Hockey Patrol
POLL
7 HOURS AGOÂ Â Â |Â Â Â 227 ANSWERS
Craig Berube sums up the Maple Leafs’ biggest problem in one blunt quote
Do you think Craig Berube is on the hot seat in Toronto?