Apr 9, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA;Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Mitch Marner (16), center Auston Matthews (34) and teammates celebrate after they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn ImagesThe Toronto Maple Leafs core players may be feeling a bit of pressure after the Ottawa Senators kept the entire club off the scoresheet in a 4-0 win in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series.
Up 3-0 in the series, the Sens have all the momentum after winning two straight games and forced a Game 6 at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday. And while Maple Leafs stars Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner collectively fell to 1-13 in series close-out games, head coach Craig Berube was having none of that during his media availability with reporters on Wednesday.
"I get it. It's all I hear around here is core, core, core. The core four. But it's on everybody on the team," Berube said. "We're a team and you it's on the whole team not just four guys."
The Maple Leafs did not skate on Wednesday before heading off to Ottawa and Berube did not reveal any changes the club would make or what adjustments his club will make.
The Leafs have given up a shorthanded goal in two consecutive games, but Berube seemed to pour cold water on having a defenseman replace one of the forwards on the five-forward power play by focusing on just the mistakes that were made.
"I think we just got to do a better job in those situations," Berube said. "Now, it'll be discussed and we'll look at things and see what we want to do."
Although Berube focused on the collective effort of the team, he did have a message for star players like Matthews and Marner, who he'd like to see contribute on the scoresheet.
"Stay with it. There's things that we can do better offensively that we need to look at and go and do them. I think they defended well and we did a lot of good things in the game, but there's more there. That's my job to try to get them out of it and their job. We'll discuss it as a team and go over things, and we'll be hopefully better."
Marner leads the Leafs in postseason points with seven (one goal and six assists). Matthews and Nylander each have six points. Berube said he's aware of the team's past but doesn't use it in his coaching methods.
"My job is to try to get the best out of every player and the team the best of my ability," Berube said. "Yhat's what I try to do daily, whether it's now, game 30, game 10. We're up 3-2 still in the series. And we went in there and won a game already. So we're capable of doing it. And I have a lot of belief in this team.
Game 6 is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET from Canadian Tire Centre.
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