Berube downplays pressure on Leafs' core: 'It's on everybody'
The Toronto Maple Leafs' core is under the microscope again, but head coach Craig Berube says it's on the entire roster to come together and close out their Round 1 series against the Ottawa Senators.
"It's on everybody on the team," Berube told reporters Wednesday, per TSN. "I get it. That's all I hear around here is 'core, core, core. The Core Four.' But it's on everybody as a team. We're a team, and it's on the whole team, not just four guys."
The Maple Leafs jumped out to a 3-0 series lead but have dropped the last two games. The team's top players failed to deliver in a chance to eliminate the Senators in Game 5 on Tuesday, and Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said postgame that he believes Ottawa has planted the seed of doubt in Toronto's minds. Teams with home-ice advantage that build 3-0 series leads are 150-3 all time in Stanley Cup Playoff history.
Toronto owns the longest postseason streak in the league at nine seasons but only has one series victory to show for it thus far. The Maple Leafs are an astounding 1-13 in potential series-clinching games during that stretch. While hockey is indeed a team sport, the core group of players is undoubtedly the common denominator.
Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares comprise what's considered the Core Four. Matthews, Marner, and Nylander have been with the team for all nine seasons of the stretch, while Tavares has been around for seven.
All four were held off the scoresheet during a shutout loss in Game 5. Matthews, Marner, and Nylander have combined for three goals in the series.
Defenseman Morgan Rielly - often the forgotten member of the team's leadership group - is the club's longest-serving member, having been with the Maple Leafs since 2013-14.
"We have to stick together," Rielly said, according to Postmedia's Lance Hornby. "We've been in this spot before. We have to understand we have the lead in this series, no reason to panic. (The media) has a job to do and it's about us doing ours."
Berube is in his first season with the Maple Leafs and led the team to a division title.
"It gets to the point where there's a lot of past stuff I hear around here," Berube said. "That's fine, that's part of it all. But the only pressure they have is to their own teammates, in my opinion."
The Maple Leafs will once again attempt to exorcise some demons in Game 6 against the Senators on Thursday.