Craig Berube Reveals Game 1 Lineup and Breaks Down Key Decisions

While the Toronto Maple Leafs certainly aren't perfect, over the last month and a half has been quite the run for the team. Not only have they won some pretty close games, but they're doing it without three key pieces in the lineup..

Craig Berube has had to shuffle things around and it's worked out pretty nicely. We are seeing third and fourth line players contributing much more, and it's starting to feel like this could be the year.

So with questions about what his lineup will look like going into Game One, especially with some familiar faces looking to get back into the lineup, what's Berube's plan?

It seems to be stick with what worked, but never overcommit.

Rewarding his forwards for playing so well over the last bit, his comments about seeing what's next do bring in an interesting little caveat into this whole situation.

He knows he has Ryan Reaves and Max Pacioretty available (even if Patches isn't official, he's definitely healthy enough) but he's also gotta work with his returning players and how they get on the ice too.

It's a good thing that Toronto has been able to get their secondary scorers more active and producing because then it also makes life a bit easier for Berube; he doesn't have to think hard about who to keep.

Saying that he'll see where the team stands certainly does depend on whether or not the team comes out swinging in game one or if the team will need a bit of a jolt in the lineup.

One of the biggest questions is where exactly Max Domi fits into the equation, as he's been statistically Toronto's least likely to generate offense over the last ten games.

If he can get some chemistry going with John Tavares and William Nylander, it could be a huge boost for Toronto, but if he continues to play the way he has, perhaps he'll be the one on the outside looking in.

But it's all a part of what makes the playoffs the beast that it is, and no doubt Craig Berube will have his hands full, especially if things fall apart.