WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thursday was Canines Evening at Capital One Area.
Each groups entered this season with designs on a Stanley Cup, however after taking in 60 minutes of head-to-head motion, you’d should be one sick pet to imagine the guests have any shot at contending for a championship with the sort of effort.
What made the Capitals so nice of a problem for the Maple Leafs on this 4-0 dismantling?
“Ourselves,” Craig Berube stated, flashing some enamel postgame.
“They performed with extra ardour than we did tonight. I imply, that’s what it boils right down to. It regarded to me like they’d far more urgency of their recreation, extra ardour of their recreation. That’s the distinction.”
How does the pinnacle coach clarify that discrepancy in effort, given his Leafs are 4 factors and 4 groups away from the playoff reduce line?
“Ask these guys, not me,” Berube replied.
He was referring to a room filled with gamers who’re both tuning him out or now not prepared to take a position the hassle required to execute Berube’s hardnosed, straight-line system. A room he opted to not handle after the blanking/spanking, as a substitute letting his Leafs quietly stew within the mess.
Berube has tried encouragement prior to now. (He went as far as to explain Tuesday’s skin-of-their-teeth 3-2 comeback over the Connor Bedard-less Blackhawks a “character win.”) However none might be discovered from his press convention within the U.S. capital.
The Leafs mustered simply 4 photographs within the first interval, regardless of spending six minutes on the facility play, and ended up 0-for-5 on the man-advantage.
It was the facility play’s worst efficiency in an autumn filled with contenders.
“Tonight, it was godawful,” Berube stated. “Our high unit didn’t execute, didn’t win any battles once they wanted to, simply couldn’t make performs.”
Even-strength wasn’t a lot prettier.
The Capitals have been sooner and extra organized. They acted larger and extra engaged. Extra decisive and decided.
Berube’s nuclear possibility when offensive momentum has been exhausting to return by has been to stack his high line, couching No. 1 centre Auston Matthews with one of the best obtainable wingers, Matthew Knies and William Nylander.
That trio received outshot 7-0 by way of 40 minutes earlier than getting chucked within the blender. The traces have been a canine’s breakfast after that.
Did Berube see sufficient juice from his greatest forwards?
“No. Not even shut.”
For these holding rating at residence, the coach has not-so-subtly pointed a finger at his eight-figure superstars twice in 5 days.
What say the leaders of the Jap Convention’s 14th-place workforce?
John Tavares: “We weren’t actually crisp with the puck. Issues weren’t at all times clear, and that is the place you bought to fall again on simply being a very troublesome workforce to play in opposition to, and we simply weren’t powerful sufficient to play in opposition to right now.”
William Nylander: “We’re just a little bit disconnected. I imply, some stints the place we received them, however it’s not adequate. I imply, a few shifts right here and there may be not gonna reduce it.”
Auston Matthews: “We simply made it very easy on straightforward for them. The impartial zone was a freeway for them to get by way of. I don’t know. We simply made it really easy for them.”
Matthews admitted that the Leafs didn’t compete exhausting sufficient.
Which is each true and damning.
“That’s received to be the principle level of focus every night time. Like, we don’t should be one of the best workforce on this planet each single night time. However we’d like everyone to compete. We want everyone to only play good,” Matthews stated.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been the Maple Leafs’ greatest defenceman this season. He is aware of what a Cup winner appears to be like and looks like. He was on one lower than two years in the past.
He stated the Capitals have been extra determined.
However how can that be, when Toronto solely sits one level out of the convention basement?
“I agree. Completely agree with you,” Ekman-Larsson stated. “That’s what we’re speaking about. That’s what we need to do. Nevertheless it’s one factor to speak about it. It’s one other factor to do it. And I feel that is the exhausting half proper now, and that is one thing we have to work out.
“I don’t suppose we deserved higher tonight.”
Right here’s just a little perspective on how the Maple Leafs have performed by way of 33 video games: The workforce one level under them within the Atlantic Division simply fired their common supervisor, and nobody argued that it was the mistaken name.
Why has it been so troublesome for the Maple Leafs to construct upon wins, to maintain a degree of effort and consistency this season?
“I don’t know,” Nylander stated, stumped.
“It’s a tricky query.”
• For the primary time all season, the Maple Leafs began their No. 2 goalie — on this case, a wonderful however beneath siege Dennis Hildeby — in a non-back-to-back scenario.
This units up Joseph Woll to get the 2 simpler opponents, Nashville (Saturday) and Pittsburgh (Tuesday), earlier than Christmas, and for Hildeby to get Dallas on Sunday.
Toronto is exercising warning with Woll.
“With Woll coming again off of harm,” Berube stated, “we considered him tonight once more. However I feel it’s essential that we make it possible for he’s rested and able to go for the following one.”
“I don’t know what it’s. It’s like they’re taking sleeping tablets earlier than the video games. As an alternative of sniffers on the bench, they’re taking Ambien. That’s how they appear generally. There’s simply no vitality.” — former Leafs participant and former Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau on the Maple Leafs.
• Time for one thing excessive on the facility play.
Create two contemporary items and allow them to compete? Begin the second unit solely? Rent a brand new power-play coach?
Established order just isn’t working.
Is a extra drastic change coming?
“It might be, yeah, for positive,” Berube stated. “That’s one thing we’ll positively take a look at.”
• Matias Maccelli served his ninth consecutive wholesome scratch. He has became a $3.425-million fifth-liner, which is how issues ended for him in Utah.
The trade-block ahead spoke with Berube on the ice at Tuesday’s morning skate for a pair minutes.
Guess on the shifty playmaker to lastly get one other likelihood this weekend.
“We’ve received to get him in there quickly. I’d wish to, anyhow,” Berube stated. “He’s been out lengthy sufficient because of unplanned circumstances, however we’d like him. This man is an effective participant, and my job is to get him again within the lineup.”
Berube believes Maccelli has stored a optimistic angle.
“He is aware of he must be higher, and he understands the scenario very properly,” Berube stated. “I do not sense frustration from him.”
• Berube, who celebrated his sixtieth birthday in D.C. Wednesday, spent six seasons as a Capital and reached his solely Stanley Cup Last as a participant right here.
“Dale Hunter and I have been teammates for a very long time right here. I shaped an amazing friendship with him coming in right here. I wished to kill him from days in Philly, however we grew to become good mates,” the coach mirrored.
“Simply all the good people who I used to be capable of work with right here and play for, trainers and gamers, I made loads of good friendships right here. I used to be right here a very long time. And the run we needed to the (1998) Stanley Cup Last was one thing I keep in mind quite a bit. It was an amazing run. I actually loved my time right here.”
