Craig Berube Sends A Warning To His Team Following Undeserved Win Against The Devils
Even though Toronto came out with a 2-1 OT win against New Jersey, head coach Craig Berube had some words for his team about their lack of effort.
It wasn't the best showing from the Toronto Maple Leafs against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. Despite being outshot 39-16, the team was able to come away with the win thanks to Anthony Stolarz's heroics and an Auston Matthews OT winner.
Craig Berube is happy his team got the win, however wasn't shy about his team's lack of aggression and felt they looked a bit complacent at times. When asked about Max Pacioretty's hit on Jack Hughes, Berube was blunt in his appreciation for the veteran's gritty nature:
Toronto's Success Involves A Lot Of Hits
It was a colossal, yet legal hit, and Pacioretty firing up his team by not showing remorse is something Berube has stressed all year.
The strategy for Toronto has been to hit a lot, be gritty, and don't give up on the play.
The new game plan of Berube's has worked so far but Toronto needs to continue following what's brought them to success. The team has a total of 657 hits, leading to an average of 23 hits a game, and the amount of size the team has, they have to keep throwing weight around.
Pacioretty himself has 45 hits, and while it's not a large amount compared to other players, considering he was signed to bring offensive depth and wasn't expected to bring such aggressiveness, especially coming off serious injuries.
It comes with the territory as Berube won't care if you're a superstar or a fourth-liner, he wants to show some bite on the ice.
Steven Lorentz leads the team with 69 hits, but star power forward Matthew Knies isn't far behind with 56.
This shows that Berube expects everyone to pull their weight and if you let teams skate around you as the Leafs head coach alluded to, it's going to lead to failure.
By establishing a bit of intimidation, Toronto can continue their rise in the Atlantic as they search for their first Stanley Cup in 57 years.
