HC Craig Berube doesn't sugarcoat 22-year-old Maple Leafs forward's performances since return from injury

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube offered his blunt assessment of 22-year-old forward Matthew Knies' performances since returning from injury.

Speaking after the Leafs' 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday, Berube didn't sugarcoat Knies's performances.

"Since he has come back, he is not quite at the level he was at. We need to get him back there. The effort is there, but there are little things he can do better and clean up. We have to get him back to the level he was at before he was out." Craig Berube said.

Knies suffered an upper-body injury after a hit to the head by Vegas' Zach Whitecloud on Nov. 20. He was placed on injured reserve and missed Toronto's next two games. In 35 games this season, Knies has 11 goals and eight assists.

Berube pointed to specific mistakes that proved costly in Saturday's loss.

"There were probably three mistakes that we made in the game, and they went in our net," he noted. "We played a pretty hard game with a lot of opportunities. We didn’t finish."

The coach highlighted errors on Washington's first goal, a turnover that led to a Capitals tally, and a late penalty as moments where the game slipped away.

"We won the draw, didn’t get it out, and then took a penalty. It was in our net. … We made a few mistakes, and they capitalized on them. We didn’t execute on our chances well enough."

Bobby McMann and John Tavares scored for Toronto in the losing effort, while Matt Murray stopped 27 shots in net.

Jakob Chychrun, Andrew Mangiapane, Niv Dowd, Alexander Ovechkin and Tom Wilson tallied goals for the Capitals, while Washington's Logan Thompson made 35 saves to secure the win.

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Craig Berube defends William Nylander's zone exit in second period

Craig Berube offered a balanced assessment of William Nylander's controversial zone exit that preceded Nic Dowd's go-ahead goal in the second period.

"It is a read. If we have possession, we want to blow out of our zone there and catch them. He does it very well. He has gotten breakaways from it and is putting a team in a tough situation."

However, Craig Berube 's main criticism centered on his team's earlier mistakes in the neutral zone. He pointed to multiple missed opportunities to clear the puck and execute a line change, which forced them to remain pinned in their defensive zone.

The Maple Leafs next host the New York Islanders on Monday.