Berube's newest message to Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs cannot fall on deaf ears
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski Imagn Images
Craig Berube delivered a stern message to Leafs captain Auston Matthews and his teammates on Monday following two horrendous third period collapses.
Saturday's third period collapse against the Edmonton Oilers saw star forward William Nylander benched for the final six and a half minutes of the game.
It also led to Berube calling out Nylander, Matthews and the rest of the leadership group following the game.
Berube Addresses Lack of Compete From Matthews and Team
Despite publicly calling out his leadership group on Saturday, Berube wasn't done publicly shaming the team -- specifically Matthews.
"It's not at the level that he wants it at - or us," Berube said of the captain's recent play. "And it's not just about scoring goals; it's just the whole game in general. But I do believe - and I know he believes - it's going to get better here."
The Leafs' bench boss was quick to soften his stance however, lumping in the three-time Rocket Richard winner in with the rest of the team.
"He's like everybody else. We got to all be better. I'm not going to just focus on one guy. It's not about one guy; it's about the team."
Matthews Responds to Berube's Criticism with Concerning Remarks
In light of Berube's very public criticism of his play and the team in general, the Arizona product had a concerning response, failing to take responsibility for himself.
"I mean, we can all be better. Obviously, the last two games, it's frustrating. Rightfully so. It's going to fall on the leaders, and that is fine," said the Leafs' captain. "We've got to be better and make sure that we just keep grinding and doing what was making us successful the first two periods. I think we've done a pretty decent job of that over the last seven, eight, nine, 10 games."
With the Bedard-less Chicago Blackhawks in town on Tuesday night, Berube is hoping that Matthews and team can put together a full 60-minute effort.
This isn't a message that the Leafs can afford to have fall on deaf ears. Time is running out to bank points and get back into the playoff hunt before the Olympics. The Leafs would be extremely unwise to not heed Berube's warning and bring a better effort to every game moving forward.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 16 | 800 ANSWERS Berube's newest message to Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs cannot fall on deaf ears Do you think Auston Matthews and the Leafs will listen to Berube's message and be better moving forward? | ||
| Yes | 277 | 34.6 % |
| No | 523 | 65.4 % |
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