HC Craig Berube pinpoints exactly what cost Toronto Maple Leafs the game in lopsided 5-2 loss to Golden Knights

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 5-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena, which ended their six-game point streak. Adin Hill made 29 saves for Vegas, stopping 16 shots in the first period. The Golden Knights took an early lead and never looked back.

Head coach Craig Berube pointed to defensive mistakes as the main reason for the loss. He said the team started well and created chances but gave up too many odd-man rushes.

"I think our intentions were right in the first period. We had chances. We were skating, I thought. But you can’t give a team like that five odd-man rushes in the first period and think you are going to win the game. That is really what I take out of it," Berube said (via mapleleafshotstove.com).

He stressed that allowing five odd-man rushes in the first period made it hard to win. He also said the players needed to reload better and maintain their structure.

"You have to have better structure. The guys have to reload harder. You can’t give up odd-man rushes as we did in the first period. It cost us the hockey game," Berube added.

Auston Matthews extended his point streak to 11 games, and Mitch Marner scored in the third period. However, Toronto Maple Leafs’s early mistakes put them in a tough spot. The Golden Knights took advantage and built a big lead.

Auston Matthews called Golden Knights 'The Standard' after Toronto Maple Leafs' 5-2 loss

After the game, Auston Matthews said the Toronto Maple Leafs were not ready to play in their 5-2 loss to the Golden Knights. He called Vegas "the standard of the League." He said the Leafs need to be better prepared against strong teams.

“We were pretty flat at the start,” Matthews said (via NHL.com). “That's a good team over there. They're the standard of the League. I just don't think we really came out ready to play. Maybe we were hoping for an easy game. They're a good team. They play all four lines. They all play similarly. They compete and they don't make it easy on you. That's on us. It's a good wake-up call for us.”

Tomas Hertl, Noah Hanifin, Jack Eichel, and Tanner Pearson each had a goal and an assist. The Golden Knights won their third straight game.

Joseph Woll allowed three goals on seven shots before Anthony Stolarz replaced him. The Toronto Maple Leafs (38-21-3) will next face the Colorado Avalanche (36-24-2) on March 8, at 7:00 PM EST.