'We'll Be A Lot Better': Maple Leafs Coach Craig Berube Urges Players To Stop Overthinking Ahead of Game 6 Vs. Panthers

If there's anything Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube wants to see out of his players in a do-or-die Game 6 against the Florida Panthers, it's that they're not overthinking things.

Because that's what he saw from his Maple Leafs team throughout their 6-1 Game 5 loss on Wednesday night.

"It's obviously disappointing for everybody, players included. They want to do well. They want to do the right thing," Berube said the morning after Toronto's Game 5 blowout loss, which had fans exiting the building at all points of the game.

"But sometimes, when you go into a game and it's a big game and we're at home, we just overthink things. You got to trust your structure and your system, so then that takes care of the thinking, and then it's just about playing."

The core of this Maple Leafs team, though, has consistently been through this scenario. Whenever a massive, series-shifting game lies ahead of them, Toronto's stars move silently into the shadows.

During the first period of Wednesday's loss, the Maple Leafs were outshot by the Panthers 13-6. Toronto got better as the game continued, but it was too late. The Panthers were up 4-0 after two periods, and there were no signs the Maple Leafs would stage a comeback.

How does Toronto overthink things in one of their biggest games of recent memory?

"Just probably you get in your head, you're worrying too much about the results and not focusing on the process. Like, that's where that comes from for me," Berube said.

How can Toronto's head coach pull them out of overthinking their game?

"You can't go out and play the game and focus on what you hope the results are going to be. You have to go out and focus on what you need to do to get results. That's the most important thing," Berube said.

"This type of series that we're playing in, you have to do things a certain way against this team. It takes compete. It takes puck battles. You have to have second and third effort all over the ice.

"That's the stuff that we need to focus on tomorrow going into the game. Those are the types of things that you need to focus on going in that game tomorrow, second and third effort, aggressiveness, numbers, compete, that's what they should be focused on."

However, this is the Panthers we're talking about; the defending Stanley Cup Champions, who look more powerful than they did during their run last year. If the Maple Leafs want to win two straight games, they need to bring everything that Berube said, and more.

"We've got to go down there, we've got to play our best game, and that's what we're focused on," Morgan Rielly added.

"We can dwell on all kinds of things, be upset about effort or whatever, but I believe that this team cares, and we're in a position now to go down there and win a very important game for our team."

This could be it for the Maple Leafs' core players. Mitch Marner and John Tavares are on expiring deals. Tavares has expressed his desire to stay, but does Toronto bring back Marner if they lose? In this fashion?

Everything remains in the balance, including Toronto's playoff hopes. Berube can only say so much to his players. At this point, it's up to them to execute. And that's what the rest of Toronto hopes for in Game 6 in Florida.

"We'll be a lot better in Game 6," Berube said.