Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube Breaks his Silence on his Team's Poor Performance

Pre-season NHL games are full of surprises, but Sunday's meeting between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators packed more twists than head coach Craig Berube might have bargained for. In his first-ever game behind the Leafs bench, Berube saw his team struggle to find cohesion in an eventual 6-5 overtime loss to a less seasoned Ottawa squad than Toronto's veteran-heavy lineup.

For all the rust that was supposed to be knocked off through three days of training camp, the Leafs left Craig Berube with a long list of concerns going forward that need to quickly be addressed.

Craig Berube had hoped early camp preparation for the team would stave off such chaos. He was disappointed in the disjointed game they played, areas of concern that should have been dealt with by now.

Former head coach Sheldon Keefe might have looked at and tried to understand these early games in a more analytical way, but it was plain as day how frustrated Berube was. There were mistakes that the team made, very noticeably in just the D-zone coverage and puck handling, standing in huge contrast to the more promising moments.

One of those bright spots was the strong Leafs' offensive push in the third period. Down by multiple goals, Toronto managed to score three times in quick succession, thanks to a relentless 6-on-5 power play in the dying seconds and a dominant few minutes in 3-on-3 overtime. Max Pacioretty, playing on a professional tryout contract, led the charge with two big goals that would illustrate his potential comeback after multiple Achilles injuries. His chemistry with fellow veteran John Tavares and newcomer Nikita Grebenkin looked promising as the two combined for a few chances.

The game wasn't all sunshine, though. Even on a night like tonight when Max Pacioretty dominated, the Leafs failed to clean up their defensive play, with starter Joseph Woll seeing a whopping 22 shots before being pulled midway through the second in favor of Matt Murray. The shots were 15 to 2 for the Senators after the first period, which was completely unacceptable to Craig Berube. Carter Yakemchuk sealed the deal in overtime after a Leafs turnover. By the end of the game, Berube's team had allowed 34 shots, a figure that is going to need correction moving forward as they continue along their pre-season campaign.

The other big surprise on D was the three assists off the stick of newcomer Chris Tanev. More known for his stay-at-home style, Tanev's night on the offensive side of the puck showed potential as Morgan Rielly's partner. But Tanev quickly added that he, too, was frustrated with his role in some of the team's defensive breakdowns. Despite those issues, Toronto's penalty-killing unit, led by assistant coach Lane Lambert, fended off all three of Ottawa's power plays, offering a small glimmer of hope for the defensive side of their game.

The Leafs now look ahead to the rest of their pre-season schedule, but Craig Berube remains cautious. He emphasized that he did not want the team to overthink the experimentation done on special teams, especially on the power play. In this short pre-season where there will only be six matches before opening night on October 9, the Leafs need to find their rhythm and also address issues that were depicted in the game on Sunday. If Max Pacioretty can continue his resurgence, and the team can work out its defensive struggles, there is still a lot of room for major improvement ahead of the regular season.