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Maple Leafs HC Craig Berube addresses back-to-back games fatigue being a major factor in 6-2 loss
The Toronto Maple Leafs faced a challenging back-to-back this week. They started strong with a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, but things changed quickly the next night. The Leafs were blown out 6-2 by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. coach Craig Berube, though, refused to blame the tight schedule for the loss.
Berube made it clear that Columbus outplayed his team in every area:
"It boils down to: They out-skated us. They outworked us & they were a harder team than we were. Bottom line"
He acknowledged that travel fatigue might have played a role, but he didn't want to use it as an excuse.
That’s an excuse, though, isn’t it, so I’m not going there," he added.
Berube also added that the Leafs struggled in several key areas of the game, which he said contributed to the lopsided loss.
"I didn’t feel like we skated very well tonight. They skated through us all night. We didn’t win many puck battles tonight, didn’t defend very well tonight, & that’s what you get. The only thing that was good tonight was the penalty kill."
The only positive Berube could find was the penalty kill, which held its ground despite the team's overall poor performance.
Maple Leafs fall to Blue Jackets after costly turnovers
Rookie goaltender Dennis Hildeby had a tough game, allowing three goals on 15 shots in the first period. He ended with 32 saves, but the damage was done early. The Leafs also struggled with turnovers and defensive mistakes, which Columbus took advantage of.
One key moment happened when John Tavares missed a scoring chance early in the game. Soon after, former Leaf James van Riemsdyk scored, followed by a goal from Justin Danforth after a turnover by Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Despite a strong start with the Leafs, Ekman-Larsson's mistake proved costly.
In the second period, Sean Monahan extended the Blue Jackets’ lead to 4-0. Toronto’s top line had a few chances but couldn't change the momentum.
Matthew Knies gave the Maple Leafs a brief spark late in the second period. He worked hard to score his third goal of the season, but it wasn’t enough to turn the game around. Knies was arguably Toronto’s best player, but the overall team performance was disappointing.
On Thursday, the Maple Leafs host the St. Louis Blues, while the Blue Jackets take on the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
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