TORONTO – Craig Berube ran a gauntlet of emotions Thursday morning.
The Maple Leafs head coach was poised to face the St. Louis Blues — the team he led to its only Stanley Cup victory in 2019, and the one that fired him last December — looking for a bounceback performance from his group following an ugly effort two nights earlier.
Berube was all smiles, evening joking with reporters he didn’t know the location of his championship ring.
The feeling was decidedly different at the final buzzer.
Berube cut a disappointed figure after Toronto bumbled its way to a 5-1 loss thanks to another disjointed showing pockmarked by defensive miscues and offensive struggles.
“Our whole team’s getting a little cute,” he said. “We’ve just got to play direct.”
The Leafs didn’t clear the front of the net on the first goal against — netminder Joseph Woll (groin) made his season debut after coming off injured reserve — before Blues forward Dylan Holloway was left alone in front on a power play.
Berube then fumed on the bench after St. Louis made it 3-1 in the second on a sequence that started with Toronto defenceman Jake McCabe trying to play the puck between his legs.
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“Just not doing things right,” said Berube, who spent parts of six seasons with the Blues and replaced the fired Sheldon Keefe in May. “It was lazy hockey.”
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Leafs captain Auston Matthews said the message was clear.
“We just need to be better,” he said. “We need to be in spots, we need to fill positions, we need to check better.”
Toronto winger William Nylander turned the puck over early in the third and St. Louis raced the other way before Jake Neighbours ripped a shot upstairs for a 4-1 cushion.
“We’ve for sure taken a dip,” Nylander said. “That’s on me and everybody else on the team to pick it up a notch.”
The Leafs talked about responding after Tuesday’s 6-2 road loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, but that turned out to be mostly bluster.
“Two games in a row we’re just not good enough,” said Matthews, who has three goals through eight contests after scoring 69 last season. “Light on pucks, we didn’t win battles, we didn’t win the net-front.”
Leafs blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson said it’s a matter of defensive intensity on the heels of 11 goals against in two games.
“I don’t think that’s gonna cut it,” he said. “That’s where it starts.”
Apart from the result, the players were disheartened with the showing on a big night for their new coach.
“We should have been better there for him,” Nylander said.
Berube, however, said there’s plenty of blame to share.
“You’re going to go through tough times,” he said. “We’ve all got to be better, myself included.”
SHOOTING BLANKS
Toronto’s talent-filled, underperforming power play dropped to 3-for-27 after another punchless effort on three chances.
“Not generating enough, just not on the same page,” Matthews said. “The story throughout the first eight games here. It’s tough to dominate, to gain momentum when that’s off.”
BACKING BINNER
Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington is in the conversation to be among Canada’s crease contingent at February’s NHL 4 Nations tournament.
St. Louis head coach Bannister said his netminder should be at the top of the list.
“Competitive, high hockey IQ, very efficient getting out to pucks and moving pucks,” he said. “Binner’s going to be there at the end. He’s going to be a guy that pushes.
“He’s not gonna give up that spot.”
WALKING WOUNDED
Berube said prior to the game that Max Pacioretty (lower-body injury) is day-to-day, while fellow veteran forward Calle Jarnkrok (lower-body injury), who’s on long-term injured reserve, hasn’t started skating.
Rookie centre Fraser Minten (high ankle sprain) joined the team for Thursday’s morning skate after getting hurt last month.
“He’s been working hard,” Berube said. “He’s going to be a good player … looking forward to getting him back and playing games.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
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© 2024 The Canadian Press
