The Toronto Maple Leafs can advance to the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a victory against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. Up 3-0 in their best-of-seven series, a victory would give Toronto the first series sweep since 2001.
Toronto has a done a good job of keeping things steady when it comes to their approach and the mindset is no different, knowing that Game 4 is an elimination game.
"I don't think there's a different approach," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said on Saturday.. Each individual on the team needs to focus on their shift, what they need to do, the process of it all. You know, they're going to push hard. like they have every year. It's no different today from me tonight, I mean. We just got to focus on what we need to do. Each individual, your battles, your compete, puck management, keep playing how we've been playing. You know?"
The Leafs held a full morning skate and no lineup changes are expected.
Berube addressed several topics in his pre-game availability including:
* The team's mood going into Game 4.
* Simon Benoit's confidence and development
* An equal spread in ice time for defense pairs
* Scott Laughton's progression and role in the playoffs
Q: How would you describe the mood about the guys? Has it changed from Game 1 to Now?
I don't believe it has. I think the mood's been fine. It's been good. I mean, normal for me, you know, businesslike. You know, maybe a little more eager today, but for the most part, businesslike.
Q: Lessons in Simon Benoit's path to get here?
Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of guys that mature at a later age in their game development. You know, there's players that play in the NHL five years, and they grow as players and get better and improve. There's been a number of those guys over the years that have gotten better and better throughout their careers as they go along. And it's all about confidence, and it's about understanding. You know, I think guys work on their game so much nowadays that there is improvement all the time. You know, it's in the summertime, too. or, you know, they've got skilled coaches and they work on all kinds of things and they improve. And I think Benny's one of those guys. I mean, you know, he's always been a hard defender, a big guy, plays a hard game, heavy game. But, you know, it seems like he's grown this year with his puck plays more confident, you know.
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As time passed after Simon Benoit's overtime-winner for the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3 against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, his phone continued filling up with messages cheering him on.
Q: When you look at the minutes your D are playing there isn't a big gap there. Is that something you like? How does that work?
Well, I think playoff hockey, like I said, we need everybody right in here. We need everybody to keep the minutes good, but it keeps guys fresh. It's more energy. We use all our D. It's good for us. I think we've got a good combination with the pairs and how they work. That's why you see a lot of minutes that are pretty equal out there,you know.
Q: What have you liked about Scott Laughton's game?
Well, gamesmanship for sure. I think he's been really good in the face-off circle. You know, the checking side of things, understanding his role. You know, the D-zone face-offs and penalty kill. They're out there against different lines, you know, a lot of times with match-ups and D-zone faceoffs, but he's been solid in all those areas.
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Laughton hasn't registered a point since being acquired by the Maple Leafs at the trade deadline.
Q: Why has Laughton been effective on the dot?
Competitiveness for me. You know, I think faceoffs, you know, obviously there's guys that are really good at it. They study, you know, who you're going against a lot of times. That's part of it all. But, you know, if you want to win the draw, you can see hard. If you want to win the draw, you'll win the draw a lot of times. Right?
Q: Ottawa Senators head coach Travis Green talked Toronot's ability to get bodies at the net, what does it say about Matthew Knies?
Well, that's maybe the biggest part of his game, you know, is the net front. He, you know, pretty much throughout the season, like I said, he scored most of his goals 10 feet in around the net or even closer. That's his game, you know. whether it's power play or 5-on-5, playing with Mitch and Matty he knows when they get the puck it's going to get there eventually and he does a good job of getting there and wanting to be there and that's where he makes his goals and stuff like that are all around the net. So, he's done an excellent job of doing that but it's understanding and the willingness to want to do it and that's on him. He's bought into that.
'Not A Lot Of Guys Can Do What He Can': How Maple Leafs' Matthew Knies Put Himself In Unique NHL Company This Season
Knies is one of three players in the NHL this season with 25 goals and 150 hits.
Q: How surprised are you that (Claude) Giroux and Laughton have singled each other out here in the scrums?
Well, I think they played together, right? And, you know, I'm sure they were good friends, which I know they were. But playoff hockey, you know, it changes, right? And you're trying to do what you can to disrupt the other team or do whatever you've got to do. So that changes. That changes.
Q: When in your career did you know this style of hockey you like to play/coach is successful?
I don't know. I mean, I think, you know, I coached under Hitch and been around Hitch for a long time. Johnny Stevens, these guys were, I started in Philly and that was sort of how we played. And, I've always liked that style, that aggressive forechecking style and checking style of hockey If you look at playoff hockey overall in the end, you know, you have to forecheck in the playoffs. You have to be a heavy team in the playoffs. But you can't just, like I said yesterday, you can't just all of a sudden playoffs start to change. Like, you know, we're not the Edmonton Oilers of the 80s here. I mean, which they could do. They did a good job of it, but we have to work on it all year. You have to create that identity.
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Q: Would you consider Hitch your coaching mentor?
Well, he's definitely one of them. I was around him a lot, right? Junior hockey, you know. I mean, you know, John Stevens was my first head coach that I worked under. I learned a ton from him and, you know, how he ran things and what he did. He was very successful at it. I mean, he won AHL championships, NHL. He won championships as an assistant coach. He was a very good coach.
Q: What's the right side of staying on the right side of calls?
Yeah, you've got to be, you know, it's just understanding that, you know, the scrums and all that don't react to it. You know, play hard between the whistles. You know, I get there's desperation plays sometimes and take penalties, and, you know, that's going to happen in the game. but it's the other stuff you want to be really good at having composure and, you know, initiating as much as you can. And, you know, you've got to stay out of it as best you can. I don't have an answer for it. I mean, it's just the understanding of it.
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