NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs-Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs - Source: Imagn — Coach Craig Berube answered reporters after Maple Leafs' overtime loss in Game 4 (Source: Imagn)

Maple Leafs HC Craig Berube brushes off killer instinct concerns after Game 4 loss

Modified Apr 27, 2025 12:02 GMT

After the Toronto Maple Leafs' 4-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference first round on Saturday, coach Craig Berube dismissed talks of his team's lack of "killer instinct" in the close-out game.

Before Game 4, Berube said about it while talking about the Maple Leafs' preparations.

"All we can do is understand what you need to do every shift as a player," Berube said on Friday. "...The killer instinct will take care of itself."

However, the killer instinct went missing for the Maple Leafs, especially in overtime. The Senators, who started the first period with a 2-1 lead, ended the game strong with Jake Sanderson's overtime winner. However, Berube said that he's not concerned.

"I don’t think that was the case tonight," Berube said (via mapleleafshotstove.com).

"I thought our team played extremely hard and did a lot of great things. We gave up four shots in two periods. We defended hard and played hard. ... I am not too concerned about it. I thought our team was ready to go. We did a lot of good things tonight, and it didn’t work out."

Berube was also asked about the power play’s failure to capitalize on a four-minute opportunity in overtime. It was the Maple Leafs' strong point in the first three games, where they capitalized on five of nine opportunities.

"We had some good looks," Berube said. "Matthews hit the post, and we had some other good looks. It didn’t go in. I am not going to look at it too much. We didn’t get a bounce. We hit a post, and we had a couple of other good opportunities. JT (Tavares) is really good on the PP for us, obviously, but we had our looks."

Ottawa's penalty kill played a key role in the win, but Toronto leads the series 3-1 and has a chance to close it out in Game 5 in Toronto is on Tuesday.

Maple Leafs allowed early goal and failed in overtime

Tim Stutzle scored first for Ottawa with a one-timer from Jake Sanderson on the power play. Shane Pinto added a short-handed goal, taking a breakaway shot past Mitch Marner. John Tavares responded for the Maple Leafs, redirecting a William Nylander shot.

Matthew Knies tied the game in the second period after a miscommunication between Sanderson and Artem Zub. David Perron scored in the third to give Ottawa the lead again, finishing a pass from Zub. Oliver Ekman-Larsson answered for Toronto, taking the game to overtime.

There, Jake Sanderson won the game for Ottawa to prevent their elimination.

About the author

Abhilasha is an NHL writer at Sportskeeda. Holding a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, her interest in writing hockey was piqued after watching an NHL skills video on YouTube. The 2023 Stanley Cup Finale series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers was among the most iconic games she has seen and it left an impact on her.

Her reporting strengths include covering news stories and following stars like McDavid, Matthews and Alex Ovechkin, among others.

Abhilasha is a huge fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche because of their skilled forwards, while her favorite players include Wayne Gretzky, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Connor Bedard. For her, John Tortorella is the greatest coach ever.

Abhilasha has over 3 years of experience writing content for different products and websites, along with handling social media content for various brands. She values using credible sources when writing and likes to identify fake and false narratives.

Abhilasha’s hobbies include spiritual reading, staying updated on the latest makeup trends, fitness and exploring new destinations through travel.

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