'Ask those guys, not me': Craig Berube's frustration clear after Maple Leafs defeat

Tensions have begun to build in the open for the Toronto Maple Leafs between the team and the coaching staff as Craig Berube appeared without much answers for the Leafs 4-0 blowout loss to the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

Toronto had little positive come their way in the loss as the Capitals held their number throughout the game as the Leafs struggled to get the offense going and their defense showed a lack of composure against Washington's attack.

Finally appearing to have seen enough with a poor win that looked to be a low point in a season riddled with them for Toronto, Craig Berube is finally pointing some criticism outwards.

Sidestepping the usual admittance of the coaching staff needing to do better, Craig Berube put the blame on the Leafs roster as having been unable to win against Washington.

Berube said part of the reason for the loss was the Capitals being the better team and showcasing more urgency in their game. When asked why, Berube nudged to the Leafs dressing room, saying to "ask them".

Berube followed up by saying that he didn't feel his message was being ignored by the players, only saying that the focus for why they weren't the better team can come from the players on the ice.

The loss to Washington is going to be a difficult one for Toronto as they were almost never in it, but will be one the Leafs will be quick to erase.

One area specifically that Berube made clear he didn't see enough out of was the Knies-Tavares-Nylander line, and indication potentially of a breaking of the trio for the Leafs next game Sunday against Nashville.

Nylander and Auston Matthews were the two lowest performing forwards according to the tracked data, with Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson struggling on the defensive end.

Craig Berube has chosen to lay into his team, but he'll need to find a fix even if he's not the problem, or he could be the one out the door in order to shake things up.