Craig Berube is betting that splitting his superstar core across two balanced power-play units will finally jumpstart the Maple Leafs' stagnant offense.
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube followed through on his promise to shake up the team’s power play personnel during Saturday’s 5-3 loss to the Nashville Predators. While the Leafs failed to capitalize on their lone man-advantage, the new configuration provided a much-needed spark for a unit that has struggled significantly this season.
Berube opted to split his elite talent across two balanced units rather than loading up a single "super" line. On the first unit, Morgan Rielly, Auston Matthews, and Matthew Knies remained in their usual roles, but they were joined by youngsters Easton Cowan and Nick Robertson.
The second unit featured veterans John Tavares and William Nylander skating alongside Nicolas Roy, Matias Maccelli—who drew into the lineup for Max Domi—and defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Despite going 0-for-1 on the night, the eye test suggested improvement. The units avoided the costly turnovers that have plagued them recently and executed clean zone entries. The most dangerous scoring threat came from Robertson, who found space for a high-quality chance in the slot.
Coach Berube remained optimistic about the shift. “We created two or three Grade-A's off it, and that's a good PK—they pressure hard. They don't give you a lot of opportunity,” Berube noted. “I thought that we handled it well. I think I saw good things out of both units”.
The adjustment was a matter of necessity. Following Saturday’s game, the Leafs’ power play fell into a tie with the Calgary Flames for dead last in the NHL, operating at a meager 14 percent efficiency. This inability to score with the man-advantage has been a primary factor in Toronto’s disappointing 15-14-5 record, leaving them at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.
While it remains to be seen how long Berube will stick with this "balanced" look, the early returns suggest it is worth a longer look. Whether it's this specific deployment or another, the Leafs’ top stars must find a way to score regularly if the team hopes to climb back into playoff contention.
"Sometimes you got to mix things up, switch things up. I thought, you know, one opportunity got, had a really good look, you know, with Robbie there in the middle and the more repetitions you get the better, more comfortable guys are going to feel with each other but it's good to mix things up like that sometimes," Maple Leafs captain Auston matthews said of the look.