Craig Berube Pulls Two Forwards Aside in Private Chat Before Panthers Series Opener
Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube had a little bit of a pep talk with a couple of his forwards ahead of their second round against Florida at practice on Sunday.
It's that time folks, Toronto is heading into the second round of the playoffs.
Before we plan the parade just yet, the still need to get past the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers; a team that is not only motivated to repeat, but added arguably the Maple Leafs' biggest enemy over the last decade.
The team is going to need a collective effort from everyone involved, and the stars are going to need to shine, and the grittier and dirtier players need to trudge through whatever the Panthers decide to throw at them.
It's going to be nasty, hard-fought and could be a big indicator of who walks away with the Cup in the end.
While Florida seems like a well-oiled machine, there are still some issues with the Maple Leafs lineup and more specifically Max Domi and Bobby McMann.
Both men were expected to do something of note this postseason, but they've combined for only three points, which is inexcusable at this point of time.
Craig Berube Pulls Max Domi and Bobby McMann Aside To Get Them Ready
So it isn't too shocking to see that Craig Berube wanted to make sure he had a little bit of a chat with the two of them during practice, trying to get their heads in the game ahead of Monday's tilt.
While Domi has been a bit more productive with two points and a game-winning goal, McMann has basically been invisible.
He scored 20 goals this season, and while he never played in last year's series against Boston, he was looked at to do some damage.
That inexperience might be a big reason to his slow start, and Berube acknowledged that, and mentioned he sees McMann breaking out sooner than later:
Maybe his best game was the final game.
He's starting to understand, in my mind, the power forward [game].
He's starting to understand, in my mind, the power forward [game].
While we don't expect him to be the caliber of player like Matthew Knies, there's still a huge way McMann can make an impact.
He's a lightning bolt on the ice and could easily out-skate a majority of the Panthers; he might be able to do damage with some outlet passes.
If he can't do that, maybe he can use that acceleration to send his 6'2, 215-pound body into every Panther imaginable to make them think twice about trying to get too cute.
The main thing though is that Toronto plays the game that brought them here in the first place.
The goals are going to come, and the team has a very good chance of making Florida second guess their confidence.
But it depends on guys like Bobby McMann and Max Domi; let's hope Craig Berube's words haven't fallen on deaf ears.
| POLL | ||
MAI 4 | 537 ANSWERS Craig Berube Pulls Two Forwards Aside in Private Chat Before Panthers Series Opener Do you think Bobby McMann or Max Domi needs to be benched in order to get back on track? | ||
| Only McMann | 75 | 14 % |
| Only Domi | 48 | 8.9 % |
| Both Men | 88 | 16.4 % |
| Neither Man | 326 | 60.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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