Craig Berube just laid out exactly how he wants the Leafs to play after the win in Pittsburgh
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube laid out the blueprint for Toronto's next stretch of games, and explained how the team needs to tackle the next week.
In what could be considered their best and most complete game of the season last Saturday, the Maple Leafs came away with a 7-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in a game where they were dominant with all four lines contributing and finding their defensive stride.
It was a great building block for the team as they head into Florida on Tuesday night, and with last year's playoff series still fresh for many fans, it's likely to be a gritty and intense matchup.
But if the Maple Leafs can come out like they did against Pittsburgh, they will have more than a fighting chance, at least according to head coach Craig Berube.
The simple blueprint Craig Berube liked from the win in Pittsburgh
Speaking to reporters after practice on Monday, Berube was direct about what the team needs to do to build on that win: control the puck more and play with better defensive awareness.
Berube said:
Confidence. We talked about puck possession and a little more playmaking, and we did that tonight.
There were a lot more entries, and we were making some things happen. We got rewarded for it.
I really liked the D tonight. They were very good. They moved the puck well and defended well.
We protected our net pretty well. If they got shots, a lot of them were from angles and outside, which is good. We protected the interior of the ice tonight. We have to keep getting better, though. There are things we can do better, and we have to keep working on them. It is all part of it.
There were a lot more entries, and we were making some things happen. We got rewarded for it.
I really liked the D tonight. They were very good. They moved the puck well and defended well.
We protected our net pretty well. If they got shots, a lot of them were from angles and outside, which is good. We protected the interior of the ice tonight. We have to keep getting better, though. There are things we can do better, and we have to keep working on them. It is all part of it.
Berube isn't wrong, and the team we saw on Saturday night played with a level of vigor and confidence we really haven't seen this year. For example, Nick Robertson's goal to give them their seventh of the night was a goal we have not seen this season from Toronto.
A strong forecheck led to a quick giveaway and before Tristan Jarry knew it, Robertson had scored. Often times Toronto won't really hound the opponent to the point they can steal the puck -- especially heading back to their own zone.
That protection led the Maple Leafs to be a bit more aggressive knowing that their back line was actually sturdy this time around.
Not to mention their defense added five points, and the trio of Morgan Rielly, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Troy Stecher were a combined plus-8. They worked hard all night and it paid off.
This is what fans expected when the team was built this summer. A deeper and more balanced lineup with every player given a chance to succeed, and it's certainly the team we saw last year.
What this 'puck possession' standard now demands from the Leafs' roster
Right now, the team needs to take what they did on Saturday and build off it. They can't come out lifeless against Florida, especially knowing how much pressure is being put on them to pick things up and do it quick.
Players can't just lazily try and dump the puck out, or think that they're going to have help at all times. This is a team that needs to play more aware, make smarter and crisper passes, and stop trying to flick the puck up the middle of the ice.
If they can clear the puck cleanly, they can afford to be more aggressive knowing they'll regain control and break out with speed.
Having to play behind your net and constantly skating back and forth in your own zone is exhausting and leads to a lot of dangerous chances for the opposing team, and a lot of that is caused by their half-baked decisions.
For a team like Toronto, they have to play a possession-based game because they don't use shot volume as a way to create chances. They will cycle the puck, forecheck, look for a pass, and crash the net.
That's been the key to their success under Craig Berube, and they've strayed too far this season at times from what they are supposed to be doing.
But if Saturday's game was any indication, the team looks motivated to go back to what's worked, and if they can repeat it against Florida, it might not just be 'a good game,' but the start of Toronto clawing back toward the top of the Atlantic.
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