Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube Surprisingly Critical of Auston Matthews After Win
Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs bench boss Craig Berube had some criticism for Auston Matthews following a 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.
After missing almost the entire month of November, Auston Matthews finally returned to action this past weekend against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
On Monday, Matthews picked up the opening goal against the Chicago Blackhawks, bringing him up to 3 points in his 2 games since his return. Most people would applaud his efforts. Craig Berube is not most people.
The Leafs head coach has a high demand of each of his players. Matthews is no different. When asked about the play of his captain since his return, Berube was more critical than complementary -- though he did express his faith in Matthews getting up to speed before long.
"He is not up to speed yet for sure, and we all know that, but it was a big goal for him. It is going to take time - practice time, which is going to be difficult with the schedule - but he is working at it. He will get there. I have no worries about it. He will get there."
In the second week of November, Matthews was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to November 3rd with an unspecified upper-body injury.
Matthews missed 9 games as a result of his injury and even travelled to Germany to receive treatment for what the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons believes was a back, wrist or soft tissue injury.
The Leafs had a very soft schedule in November, which allowed them to really take their time with Matthews and allow him to recover fully before bringing him back into the fold.
Now, as we enter a busy December, the Leafs will need their captain playing at the top of his game to maintain their spot at the top of the Atlantic Division.
After back-to-back wins over Tampa and Chicago, the Leafs will look to make it 3-straight wins against Nashville on Wednesday.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 3 | 2982 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube Surprisingly Critical of Auston Matthews After Win How has Auston Matthews looked since his return to the lineup? | ||
| Like his old self | 753 | 25.3 % |
| Not great, but not bad | 1366 | 45.8 % |
| He hasn't been very good | 184 | 6.2 % |
| About as good as I expected | 679 | 22.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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