HC Craig Berube doesn't mince words after Toronto Maple Leafs concede 5 unanswered goals in "mental mistake"-filled loss to Predators

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube didn't hold back after conceding five unanswered goals in a disappointing 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

The Leafs had jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead, thanks to goals from John Tavares and Mitch Marner, and appeared in control through the opening 20 minutes.

However, sloppy play and mental mistakes allowed the Predators to storm back with three goals in the second period and two more in the third.

“What we did to them in the first, they did to us in the second. And we had breakdowns that cost goals. And there was no reason for it," Berube said. (9:04)

After outshooting the Predators 12-6 in the first, Toronto was outshot 26-14 over the final two frames. Berube lamented the "total flip" that occurred after the strong start, with Nashville turning the tables and dictating the pace of play.

When asked if he was surprised by the mental lapses this late in the season, Berube responded:

"I don't know if I am surprised. There are things that happen throughout the year - mental mistakes - and it could be a number of things. I haven't seen the mental mistakes like we made tonight in a while.

"We can't have breakdowns like that in the game. To me, that is mental," he emphasized.

The coach planned to review the film and discuss the performance with his team, highlighting the strong opening period and the subsequent collapse.

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John Tavares’ take on Leafs 5-2 loss to Predators

The loss to Nashville snapped the Leafs’ three-game winning streak as they were trying to recover from a tough run where they had dropped five of their previous six games.

"We should be pissed off," Tavares said after the game. "It was a great opportunity to end a really good week, the way we bounced back from a stretch that wasn’t going our way.

"We weren’t playing the way that we talked about — our standard and the level of play we expect a nightly basis.”

Filip Forsberg scored twice for the Predators, while Luke Evangelista, Michael Bunting and Kieffer Bellows added the other goals. Juuse Saros has 24 saves for Nashville. Joseph Woll stopped 27 shots in the loss.

The loss brought Toronto’s record to 42-25-3 on the season, leaving them tied with the Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.