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Toronto Maple Leafs coach Berube challenges top line to play better

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Oct 22 2025, 3:44 am
Toronto Maple Leafs coach Berube challenges top line to play better
Dan Hamilton/Imagn Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs are searching for answers.

Seven games into the season, the Leafs have been just about as average as you could be for an NHL team. They’ve won three games, lost three games, and dropped another overtime, leading to a .500 record. Their goal differential is +1 on the season, giving up 25 goals and allowing 24.

But for a team that’s been in the conversation for Stanley Cup contention entering the last several preseasons, that standard doesn’t quite seem good enough.

For head coach Craig Berube, it seems like any possible improvement might come from the team’s top line. Currently, that unit is centred by Auston Matthews, with Max Domi and Matthew Knies on his wings.

As a unit all on the ice together, they generated just two shots on net at 5v5 in their most recent contest.

“I think early on in the season, I thought they were getting their opportunities and looking pretty good. Now, it’s obviously not good enough,” Berube told reporters following the Leafs’ 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. “I don’t feel like they have any sustained pressure in the offensive zone at all. It’s one and done or out… That’s what I see.”

Berube also answered a follow-up question about the team going through a “long process of experimentation” with the top line, but he didn’t seem to have much time for that as an excuse.

“It could be, but I’m getting tired of it, to be honest with you,” he added.

Berube also challenged his team’s back end to be more aggressive on the ice.

“Our D are just standing in there, jumping in there, not reading what’s coming out. We’re late sometimes with our reloads, and one of the biggest things is turnovers… We’ve got to be smarter,” he added.

When do the Leafs play next?

The Leafs regroup this coming weekend, with a home-and-home series Friday and Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, starting on the road. Puck drop for Friday’s game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, while Saturday will be at 7 p.m. on Hockey Night in Canada.

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