Toronto Maple Leafs buying in to what Craig Berube is preaching – and it’s working

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Published Oct 17, 2024  •  3 minute read

Head coach Craig Berube at the 2024 Toronto Maple Leafs training camp at the Ford Performance Centre. Photo by Ernest Doroszuk /Toronto Sun

When Craig Berube called a timeout on Wednesday and gave his Maple Leafs an earful, his message found its mark.

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After Berube chewed out his players when he pushed pause in the third period against the Los Angeles Kings, the Leafs — whose sloppiness at times during the game irked Berube — gave up nothing.

Not only did the Leafs score one more goal in a 6-2 victory, they clamped down defensively, allowing just two shots on goal in the final 11 minutes and both from more than 40 feet.

It’s a small and early sample size, to be sure, but it captured what has been the essence of the impact Berube has made since taking over as Leafs coach.

The players are listening.

There has been a buy-in to what Berube is emphasizing and it’s one reason why the team has won three of four games heading into what will be a stiff test on Saturday when the New York Rangers are the visitors at Scotiabank Arena.

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“Whenever there’s a new coach or a change in systems, guys come in with the mentality that it’s a new slate, and you have a chance to make a commitment to try to get better,” defenceman Morgan Rielly said on Thursday after the Leafs held an optional practice at the Ford Performance Centre.

“As a group, that’s the goal. Early on in the season, a big part of that is buying in and the commitment to each other that we’re going to play a certain way and we’re going to push forward and try to improve as a team.”

In allowing just seven goals in their first four games, the Leafs have been rewarded for doing what Berube wants to see in the defensive zone — a greater devotion to details and making smarter decisions.

Toronto allowed an average of 29.8 shots a game in 2023-24 in what became Sheldon Keefe’s last season as coach. The Leafs have shaved three shots off that to 26.8 in the first week with Berube in charge.

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When there have been scoring opportunities for the opposition, goaltenders Anthony Stolarz, in three games, and Dennis Hildeby, in one game, have been on point.

There’s a long way to go — and nothing should be judged properly until the playoffs get underway — yet the early returns have been positive.

“I think the mindset, more than anything, is there with the checking side of things,” Berube said. “We’re pretty tight on people.

“We’re not giving up odd-man rushes and we’ve got to continue to stress that. I thought we were in our end too much (against the Kings). We let them come at us a little bit too much. We didn’t get up enough in the neutral zone well enough.

“But in saying that, we were good at our net and we were good in the slot area, keeping them outside. They shot a lot of pucks from the point.”

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The adjustment is being made, too, as new players get accustomed to their surroundings, whether it’s Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the blue line or Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz at forward.

More importantly, it’s happening with a large group of longtime Leafs who might have been set in their ways.

The players don’t have to be reminded that it’s just a start.

“It’s about being able to continue doing it over the course of a long season and onward after that,” Rielly said. “It has been good. There’s lots of good trends. Defensively, the team has bought into a certain structure. Everyone seems to be checking well and taking that seriously.”

Do it with even greater consistency and Berube won’t have to resort to calling timeouts.

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“Guys responded, which was good,” Berube said in reference to his third-period reprimand on Wednesday. “I didn’t like what we were doing and then I just wanted to get a break and bring everybody in and talk a little bit about getting the intensity level up.

“In the third, you’re (leading) like that, it’s natural to drop off the intensity level. I wanted to get everybody dialled in again.”

Through four games, the Leafs are answering Berube’s call.

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