Maple Leafs HC Craig Berube reveals reason behind his animated outburst on bench during 1st period vs. Blackhawks

The Toronto Maple Leafs mounted a three-goal comeback in the third period to take a 3-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. But a characteristic feature of their gameplay this season has been their inability to play well the entire 60 minutes.

Head coach Craig Berube, during his postgame presser on Tuesday, said that the Leafs need to sustain momentum better off the blocks, stressing the need to cut down on faulty starts.

"If you watch games and teams, there are momentum shifts in a game, right?" Berube said. "But you don’t need to break. You can bend, but the mistakes — the two or three mistakes we made early on in the game — are what upset you. There is no need for it."

Berube seemed animated throughout the first period. The Blackhawks went ahead through a Wyatt Kaiser goal with 10:21 played in the game. Dominic Toninato won a face-off, which was buried by his teammate.

At the 11:27 mark, while the Leafs challenged an on-ice decision of a Chicago goal, Berube seemed to be showing his index finger at his players, signifying the single shot on goal till that point.

The goal was overturned by Jason Dickinson, the culprit for the goalie interference, made it 2-0 just 2:31 later, this time on a short-handed goal. Louis Crevier won the puck on a turnover, allowing Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev to charge Woll's goal.

"Well, giving up a shorthanded goal, and giving up a faceoff goal," he explained. "They shouldn’t happen. We got outmuscled around our net. It is just simple things. That is why I was pissed off."

After a scoreless second period, the Leafs rebounded with goals from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Auston Matthews, before Dakota Joshua hit the game-winner eight seconds after his captain had scored. Joseph Woll, returning to the lineup after four games, made 23 saves for the win.

Craig Berube happy with Auston Matthews' contribution

Craig Berube was indirectly critical of captain Auston Matthews' lack of leadership after Saturday's loss to the Edmonton Oilers. During Monday's practice, it became evident that the Leafs' head coach wanted more out of his top forward.

On Tuesday, Matthews delivered, scoring the game-tying goal while assisting on Oliver Ekman-Larsson's goal.

"It was great. It is great to see. Great for him and great for our team," Berube said. "As I said, I thought that line drove play tonight, which is what I wanted to see. Whether they scored or not, just control the game more than you have and drive play. They did. I thought all three of them were pretty good tonight.

Matthews has 23 points from 27 games but has a +11 rating, showcasing his impact on the Leafs' five-on-five play.

The Leafs ended their five-game homestand with a 2-1-2 record, while the loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday is their solitary regulation time defeat in their last eight games. They have improved to a 15-12-5 record as a result.