Crаіg Berube Post Gаme, Pаntһers 5 vs. Leаfs 1: “ we аren’t һаrd enougһ аround tһe net, аnd we аren’t workіng һаrd enougһ to get to tһe net”

Craig Berube addressed the media after the Maple Leafs’ 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, which dropped the team’s record to 13-7-2.

On where the game got away from the team: 

Five-on-five, we knew it was going to be a tight game. Special teams were the difference. We gave up two power-play goals and a shorty. To me, that is the difference in the game.

On Bobby McMann’s status after leaving the game late in the second period: 

Lower-body. Day-to-day right now. We are going to have to see how he is tomorrow. He wasn’t able to continue to play tonight.

On the level of frustration with the non-stop injuries up front: 

It is frustrating, but hopefully, we get some guys coming back next game. For the game tonight, we have to be sharper. We don’t need to take some of the penalties. In the third period, we are trying to come back, and we take six minutes of penalties. That makes it difficult.

On the difficulties generating five-on-five offense (24th in the NHL): 

It is hard to score, but for me, we can do a better job of getting to the net front, creating more opportunities around the net, and scoring some greasy goals around the net.

I don’t think we are hard enough around the net. I don’t think that we are working hard enough to get to the net.

I said after the first period that our D had five or six shots, but we were not making it difficult enough on the goalie and creating second and third opportunities around the net.

A lot of the time that is the way you have to score goals at five-on-five.

On how much of the shortage in five-on-five offense is due to the injuries and lack of “finishers” in the lineup: 

Maybe we don’t have the finishers, and I get that side of it, too. But I am not going to focus on that. I am going to focus on what we have in the lineup and how we need to play to generate chances and score goals.

On the team’s power play (1-for-3, one shorthanded goal against):

On the first power play, they moved it okay, but we didn’t generate anything off of it. We didn’t handle their pressure very well on the first power play. They came through and scored one, but it is tough giving up that shorty. That put us behind the eight ball.

On Nikita Grebenkin’s performance (11:03 TOI, 0 shots, -1, 2 PIMs): 

He was fine. I thought it was a tough call on him early on. I didn’t think it was a penalty. That happens. He is a physical player, so he is going to take penalties at times. I thought he competed hard and tried to do what he does as a player.

I put him on the power play for a bit, trying to get some net front and maybe get something around the net there. He was fine for me.

Mitch Marner on the lack of five-on-five offense

Marner: I mean, we’re missing half our team up front. It’s tough. We’ve got a lot guys coming in trying to jump up in some roles, and they’ve done a great job. We’ve done a great job keeping pucks out of our net 5-on-5.

… Tonight, we’ve got to be up the ice more. We’ve got to be up in the forecheck more. We’ve got to get around the net more and tip some more pucks for our D. They did a good job getting pucks through; we just weren’t there enough.

Anthony Stolarz on his performance vs. his old team

Stolarz: I thought I could’ve made one of those saves and kept the game a little bit tighter. You look down at the other end, and [Bobrovsky] was making some saves to keep them with a two-goal lead. That was the difference tonight.

Steven Lorentz on the Panthers pulling away in the game

Lorentz: Credit to them. We had some good shifts in the O-zone, but that’s a team that’s consistent. They swallow you up everywhere you go. There’s always a guy on you, and they’ve got another guy waiting to bump the puck to when they take it from you.