Leafs HC Craig Berube makes his reason for playing Ryan Reaves against the Flyers crystal clear

Craig Berube's Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center. It will be a rematch of Sunday night's 3-2 Maple Leafs overtime win over the Flyers at Scotiabank Arena.

In their first matchup of the 2024-25 season, the two teams combined for 76 hits (Toronto 43, Philly 33) in a very physical game. One of the most physical Toronto Maple Leafs players, Ryan Reaves, was not in the lineup on Sunday. He will return to action on Tuesday night in preparation for another hard-fought battle with the Flyers.

Here is what head coach Craig Berube had to say about Reaves re-joining the lineup in his pre-game media availability. (8:30 onwards)

"I Just wanted a bigger, more physical lineup tonight. Yeah, yeah. I just think going off a lot, you know, last game too, and Reavo's been out a couple few games, so I wanted to get him back in," Berube said. "And, you know, there were some pretty big hits last game, you know, and stuff. So just got to be prepared. And kind of wanted to go with a more physical and heavier lineup tonight," he added.

Reaves has appeared in 26 games this season and has thrown 82 hits, a 3.15 hit-per-game rate, the highest of anyone on the Maple Leafs.

Craig Berube has the Maple Leafs atop the Atlantic division in year one behind the bench

Toronto Maple Leafs HC Craig Berube (center) talks to his team during a break in an NHL game. (Credits: IMAGN)

Craig Berube's first year as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs has gotten off to a great start. The Leafs hold the number one seed in the Atlantic Divison with a 26-13-2 record, good for 54 points. They have a four-point cushion over the second-seeded Florida Panthers (50 points) and a nine-point lead on the third-place Boston Bruins (45 points).

Winning the division would be crucial for the Leafs, as they could avoid facing Florida or Boston in the first round of the playoffs. However, they have not won the Atlantic Division since the NHL's division re-alignment in the 2013-14 season.

This success has come amid a season where captain Auston Matthews has missed 15 games because of a nagging upper-body injury. It was an awe-inspiring first 41 games from Berube and the Maple Leafs.

They will look to keep up their winning ways to begin the second half of their season in the rematch against the Flyers in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. EST at the Wells Fargo Center.