Craig Berube Reveals Maple Leafs' Game 5 Plan During Off-Day Media Session

The Toronto Maple Leafs did not pull out the sweep on Saturday night, and their provincial rivals extend their season just a bit longer. It was a tough game for Anthony Stolarz though he doesn't seem to be dealing with any issues but just some bad luck.

So with the team heading back home for Tuesday's game, the team is probably going to be back on the ice Sunday in order to get themselves prepped for Monday.

Or so you'd think.

Speaking to media on Sunday via Zoom, Berube explained that he was giving his boys the day off and the team will refocus on Game 5 on Tuesday.

Game 4 was a tough one for his squad and the extra day off to rest and heal up any lingering ailments and mentally reset.

Mitch Marner played 28:26, Auston Matthews played 26:23, John Tavares nearly played 18 minutes and that includes missing half of OT, so it's feasible his time would have shot into the 20's.

That's just the forwards.

Morgan Rielly played an astounding 30:51, with the lowest time on the ice for a Leafs defender being 19:16 from Simon Benoit, something that wouldn't typically happen.

Berube leaned heavily on his key pieces and it showed. Perhaps the team was exhausted and couldn't keep up with the Senators when it mattered most, though it wasn't for a lack of trying; Anthony Stolarz got unlucky, plain and simple.

So it's a good thing that Craig Berube has some sympathy even given his hard-nosed style. He understands that his players need a rest, and no amount of practice the next day, or scolding for a loss is going to change the result.

The Maple Leafs will head back home with a fresh mind and hopefully, a goldfish memory. Forget what happened in Game 4, move on, and come out with the win on Tuesday.