Maple Leafs HC Craig Berube makes his feelings known about Toronto’s goals coming out of break

The Toronto Maple Leafs enter the 4 Nations Faceoff break after winning three of their last four away games. Their recent victories include a strong win against last season’s Stanley Cup finalists the Edmonton Oilers. With a 33-20-2 record, they sit second in the Atlantic Division and remain in a good playoff position.

Head coach Craig Berube spoke about the team’s focus after the break.

"We want to keep focusing on our play without the puck, for sure. Now, there are other areas," Berube said. "Our power play has improved dramatically, in my opinion. They are creating momentum, even if they are not scoring."

This season, their power play ranks 11th in the NHL at 23.2%.

Additionally, Berube wanted the team to improve its play without the puck and tighten up its penalty kill, which currently ranks 13th in the league at 79.9%.

"We were pretty good on the PK this trip, but we are giving up goals lately on our PK, and we have to tighten it up, for sure. When we get back playing again, it is going to be a grind," Berube mentioned.

Berube stressed that March will be a tough month with a busy schedule.

"March is a really busy month. It is going to be a grind and a hard push. It is a very competitive league, and there are a lot of teams that are in it," Berube added.

So far, the Maple Leafs are averaging 3.07 goals per game while allowing 2.84. William Nylander leads with 33 goals, while Mitch Marner has a team-high 55 assists and 71 points.

Craig Berube and the Maple Leafs' prospects moving forward

This season, the expectations are high, especially after last season’s first-round playoff loss to the Boston Bruins. Since 2004, the Maple Leafs have won only one playoff series, advancing past the first round in 2022-23. After last year’s loss, the team replaced Sheldon Keefe with Berube and named Auston Matthews captain, removing John Tavares from the role.

This season’s playoff results could impact future decisions. Both Tavares and Marner are in the last year of their contracts. If the Leafs struggle again, management may break up their core of Matthews, Marner, Nylander, and Tavares. With Berube leading the team, the Leafs hope to make a deeper playoff run.

However, before the playoffs, the Maple Leafs need to work on their consistency and fix their loopholes. They are currently following a pattern of winning three games and losing three, they have done it back-to-back twice.