Craig Berube challenges Maple Leafs’ bottom-six to drive pace in Game 5 vs. Panthers

The Toronto Maple Leafs are headed into Game 5 of the second round vs. the Florida Panthers in what feels like a must-win game.

Sure, it’s not actually do-or-die. But the momentum and confidence that will come with winning Wednesday night’s game will do wonders for whoever takes it, and the other team will be facing an uphill battle in winning two straight games. No more margin for error.

While much has been said about Auston Matthews, who doesn’t have a goal in the second round, the bottom-six has also fizzled out. Bobby McMann, Scott Laughton, Calle Jarnkrok, and Steven Lorentz are all without a goal, but head coach Craig Berube says that sticking to what they thrive at to establish the pace of the game is the best thing they can do for the team.

“With what they’ve given us, I think they’ve chipped in here and there,” Berube told reporters following an optional morning skate on Wednesday. “But, I think, for me, the bottom-six gotta really, you know, drive the pace of the game for us, the physical side of the game, establish our game-plan, our forecheck, and how we want to play.

You can look at this quote and question why the bottom-six is getting called out, but Berube isn’t wrong in his analysis. Matthews and Mitch Marner are tasked with the toughest matchups, playing in all situations. One of them stepping up and putting the team on their back would satisfy all factions of the fanbase, but in the end, the bottom six got eaten alive on the road, and at bare minimum, they need to get back to the dominant style of play that helped them take the first two games of the series.

“They need to check,” Berube continued. “They need to do a good job of checking, and play with energy and pace.”

The Leafs will have last change back on home ice, which should help them get the Max Domi line into more favourable situations, but they can’t be relying on last change to win them the series. If they want to bring themselves within striking distance of a trip to the Conference Final, the whole team needs to be able to handle their matchups. Berube also noted that while their zone exits perhaps haven’t looked as clean as they did against the Ottawa Senators, nothing will be easy on the eyes against a team that pressures the way the Panthers do.

“I thought they were pretty good last game, we look at all the stats and the video,” Berube said. “It’s not clean all the time, but you gotta understand that it’s not gonna be clean. The game will not be clean the way they [Panthers] pressure. We gotta be comfortable with hitting it off the glass, chip outs, and we gotta have people skating, getting through there to get onto those pucks. It’s not going to be clean, but I think our D are doing a pretty good job of that.”

The Leafs have a boatload of pressure on them to come out swinging in Game 5, but the belief in each other is what got them out of the first round, and if they’re going to advance to the Conference Final, that belief will need to stay strong.

“I feel like we’ve responded all throughout the playoffs, frankly, whether it was in a series or a game,” defenceman Jake McCabe said. “I think our resilience and composure have been good, so I don’t expect that to change.”

Game 5 is set for 7:00 PM Eastern.