Maple Leafs show signs of hearing Craig Berube’s message

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We’re not going to see Auston Matthews throw a defenceman on to the opposing goalie every game.

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Still, when the Maple Leafs captain barged to the net against New Jersey on Thursday and shoved Devils defenceman Johnathan Kovacevic into netminder Jacob Markstrom, it was another indication that the Leafs are picking up what new coach Craig Berube is preaching.

Go to the net. Be hard on the forecheck. Get into the minds of the defencemen on the other side and make their lives, at least for 60 minutes on any given night, difficult to the point that they can’t do their jobs properly.

It’s imperative that the Leafs put it into practice through the 2024-25 regular season, as flipping a switch once the playoffs start next April won’t be possible.

There’s nothing better for a coach than to show his team video of what can happen when a heavy forecheck is applied properly. The Leafs’ fourth line scored a couple of goals in New Jersey off determination.

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And a spirited burst and forecheck by Nick Robertson helped produce a goal by Max Pacioretty.

The Leafs have a level of skill that many other teams in the National Hockey League would take in a heartbeat. We’ve always heard the Leafs say they want to be a team that other clubs don’t enjoy playing. If they can find the proper mix of skill and heaviness, an area in which they have been lacking in the playoffs, they’re bound to have more success.

Through two games, there’s a bit of a discipline issue to be ironed out and the Leafs’ power-play participants aren’t doing what they should be doing, which is trusting their instincts.

In opening the season in Montreal and Newark, though, the Leafs demonstrated to a degree that playing the style that Berube aims for in the long run can be done.

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Steven Lorentz, for one, would know after winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers this past spring.

“I think he just likes it a little more old-school and it’s a winning formula,” Lorentz told media after the win against the Devils. “You look back at the winning teams over the past few seasons and you have your skill guys who are gifted and they can make all the plays.

“Those guys are going to do their thing, but he wants big bodies and guys who can skate to create that energy and that’s the identity of the team.

“When you can come in and bang and skate and go to the net, and every once in a while bang one in, it’s a lot of fun and it’s fun playing that way. It’s the kind of style that does well in the playoffs.”

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LOOSE LEAFS

Yes, goaltender Dennis Hildeby was sharp in his NHL debut on Thursday, but it should be a fairly easy decision for Berube to go back to Anthony Stolarz in net for the Leafs’ home opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. For the most part, with Woll out, the net should belong to the veteran Stolarz … The Leafs had the day off on Friday, so we’ll see if Berube sticks with Bobby McMann on the fourth line and sits Ryan Reaves again. This should not be a hard decision, either. McMann, a goalscorer in New Jersey, has to stay in … John Tavares on the adjustment to Berube from Sheldon Keefe: “It has been pretty seamless. A lot of us have been around the league for a while now and even though Sheldon was here for a long time, Chief did a good job in the off-season of communicating with everyone, really starting to build the relationships and the type of atmosphere he wanted. The way training camp went and the things he has been preaching, guys have embraced it really well.” … Saturday marks the lone visit to Scotiabank Arena by Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Penguins in 2024-25. Crosby has 68 points (29 goals and 39 assists) in 53 career games against Toronto. The Leafs and Penguins will meet in Pittsburgh on Dec. 7 and March 2.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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