Leafs Coach Craig Berube Sends Subtle Message to His Top Stars After Loss to Panthers

After their second loss of the season to the Panthers on Thursday, the Leafs now sit four points behind the Cats for top spot in the Atlantic Division. Not only did the Panthers gain some breathing room, but the Leafs also fell below .500 against Eastern Conference teams in a playoff position on the season.

The difference in the game, as Berube alluded to during his post-game media availability, was that Florida's top players were able to capitalize with the man-advantage while the Leafs went 0-for-3.

In his comments following the game, Berube subtly, or not so subtly, hinted that his top players needed to be better and need to find ways to convert on the man-advantage.

While he was subtle about asking the likes of Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner to be better, former NHLer Carter Hutton was not.

Hutton called out the Leafs' stars, specifically Marner, for not engaging in the playoff-like, tight checking game and sticking to the perimeter far too much.

All too often in the playoffs, the Leafs' special teams come back to haunt them, and if last night was any indication of how the playoffs will go, it could be another quick exit for the Leafs come April. They absolutely need to get this power play straightened out to the point where they're able to execute with some real consistency. That's going to matter in just a few short weeks.