Cowan said the first goal from the Senators "deflated" the team on Saturday night, which Berube disagreed with.
Somehow, it just keeps getting messier for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As Joseph Woll sifted through what went wrong in Friday's overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube was in a room not too far away, calling out his goaltender in front of reporters.
"He's played well, but tonight in the end," Berube said, "I don't think, I know we need a save, whether it's the OT or it's one of the breakaways. We need a big save there."
That quote seemed like the definition of rock bottom for Toronto.
Their season is already lost. They're without their captain, Auston Matthews, for the remainder of the year due to a knee injury. What is there to gain from calling your goaltender out with 12 games — all that you should lose for draft purposes — remaining in the season?
What was more surprising, however, were the comments Berube made 24 hours later.
Coming off a third straight loss, this time to the rival Ottawa Senators on Saturday night, Easton Cowan stepped in front of reporters and said the first goal Ottawa scored, which came on the power play, deflated the team.
"I thought we started off pretty strong," Cowan said. "Got on the (penalty) kill, they scored, and then I feel like it deflated us a bit. Yeah."
"It's tough," Cowan continued. "I mean, every team goes through adversity, so you just got to stick together, stay positive, and just be a tight-knit group."
Minutes later, Berube was asked about Cowan's comments and how he could get that "deflated" feeling out of his team.
"I don't know why they would be deflated after we gave up a power play goal," Berube said. "We broke a stick. We're trying to get a stick. I mean, they scored a goal, but big deal. We played a good first period.
"I mean, I don't understand that thought process that you don't follow it up and be ready to go in the second, and know that they're going to make a push. And we don't respond well enough.
"So I don't really understand this deflated stuff, to be honest with you. I think it's a cop-out."
There have been plenty of revealing quotes from Berube this season about his frustrations with his team. You could go back to when he questioned the Maple Leafs' heart after a Feb. 28 loss to the Senators, just their third game back out of the Olympic break, as the beginning of it all.
There's definitely more that came before that, though.
But if this isn't a sign of disconnect, I'm not sure what is.
You have a head coach calling out his players on back-to-back nights, in a season that's already gone up in flames.
You have a general manager in Brad Treliving calling up hometown kid Michael Pezzetta from the AHL's Toronto Marlies, only for him not to be played by the head coach on either night of a back-to-back.
Everyone seems out of kilter — the players, the coach, and the GM — and that's absolutely the last thing you want entering what's likely the Maple Leafs' most critical offseason since they drafted Matthews back in 2016.