Date: November 11, 2025
Source: Toronto Maple Leafs (YouTube)
Head coach Craig Berube spoke to the media ahead of tonight’s matchup against the Boston Bruins. He discussed resetting the team after the weekend, puck management, defensive structure, and lineup tweaks — stressing that turnovers and inconsistency have hurt the Leafs in recent games.
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On Resetting the Group
“We got in yesterday and had a good team meeting in Boston. Looked at some film and talked. Tried to get it going in the right direction again.”
On Defensive Focus and Turnovers
“I think defensively we put ourselves in some tough spots with the turnovers. Our puck management wasn’t very good the last two games, mostly the last game. We can be firmer and harder in our own zone and win more of those battles. I thought Carolina came out with the puck too much. We had numbers in there and they came out with it, and now we’re extended in our zone. Turnovers cost us the game in my opinion.”
On the Top-Six Line Changes
“Not a lot different. Just spread it out a little bit. I do like Willie with Matthews, but it’s nice to have a little bit more threat on two lines. That was the reasoning for tonight.”
On Forwards Supporting the Defense
“Don’t turn pucks over. It’s not just on the forwards or on the D. It’s on everybody. We’ve been caught in the offensive zone with three guys deep, giving up odd-man rushes. That’s not good for our D or our goalies. In-zone, it’s about killing plays, being firmer and harder, blocking shots, and exiting when you get the puck back — not turning it over so we’re stuck in our zone.”
On Team Buy-In
“I do think the buy-in is there. We do it well at times, but the consistency is not there. I feel like we’re scoring a lot of goals, and sometimes we think about scoring more than we think about our play without the puck. It’s about getting to our identity and sticking to it. We can’t be trying to make all these plays, high-ice turnovers in the offensive zone, turnovers at the blue line. That kills your team. It kills the momentum. It kills everything.”
On Odd-Man Rushes Compared to Last Year
“I think it’s a combination of reads and urgency. Early on in the season, some of our D had tough reads on pinches. The other part is a lack of urgency by our forwards at times — just getting back and beating people up the ice. That’s a big part of it.”
On Anthony Stolarz’s Workload
“I think Anthony’s game goes a lot with our game too. There are games where he’s been solid, but we’re giving up chances we didn’t last year. That’s a big difference. We have to tighten that up and give up shots from certain areas of the ice so our goalies have more success.”
On Possible Lineup Changes or Call-Ups
“I talked to Brad about call-ups and things like that. We’re where we’re at right now. We have Mermis here on defense, but putting him in, we don’t have a righty-lefty on all three pairs as it is, and that’s going to make it even worse. You’re putting somebody on the right side that’s not used to it. We’ve got McCabe there now — that’s new for him — and OEL’s played both sides. It just creates a bit of a problem.”
Pulse Takeaway
Berube said turnovers and lack of urgency remain the Leafs’ biggest issues. He believes the team’s buy-in is strong but stressed they need to stick to their identity — reduce risky plays, defend harder, and balance offensive creativity with defensive responsibility.
Quotes from Craig Berube via Toronto Maple Leafs (YouTube). Used for analysis and commentary.
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and length.