Maple Leafs notebook: Craig Berube's team aims north in hopes to find success

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If the Toronto Raptors don’t mind, the Maple Leafs would like to co-opt that ‘We The North’ thing.

The hockey phrase ‘playing north’ has been raised a lot lately as coach Craig Berube tries to get his new charges on a more direct bearing to the opposition net.

The message got through Monday as a couple of players repeated the phrase before, during and after a 6-4 win in Winnipeg.

Berube did have to change a couple forward lines to get their attention.

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“It’s a new system, we try to play north more often than coming back towards our net,” said Max Pacioretty, who combined with John Tavares and William Nylander for a nine-point night. “There are times guys have made good decisions to keep it north, tried to be physical on their defence and play that playoff style right from the beginning. Do that, you’ll wear teams down and the offence sometimes opens up later in the game. 

“That’s the mentality this group has this season and we want to perfect it.” 

Berube is all about taking the East-West out of the talent-laden Leafs and their penchant to over-pass, especially on the power play that has laboured at 9.4%, though looked better Monday.

He was most pleased at how the Leafs finished two challenging road games with three of four points by following the map.

“I liked our mindset right away, playing fast, quick and north. Good forecheck, pucks to the net, we hounded after … we were really on top of things.,” the coach said.

The power play had two shuffled groups as well, with Pacioretty and Matthew Knies elevated, Nylander and Tavares relegated. 

“I really liked what I saw by both units,” Berube said in spite of the 0-for-2 result with a man advantage. “They went downhill, they shot, they attacked and recovered.”    

CRAIG’S COM-PAT-ABLES

After his first 10 games behind the bench, Berube is at .500 (5-4-1), tied with a couple of famous names among good starts as Toronto’s coach. 

Pat Burns (5-3-2) and Pat Quinn (5-4-1) were also in that picture when looking back at the past 35 years to the start of a season under new stewardship.

Then comes Paul Maurice and Ron Wilson (both 4-3-3), Mike Murphy and Doug Carpenter (both 4-6-0) and Mike Babcock, who had one win in his first 10 in a year the Leafs were already setting the table for a last-place finish to draft Auston Matthews.

But Berube, whose next win will be career No. 287 to pass Terry Crisp for 57th in league history, has a tough act to follow in that Burns and Quinn both made the conference final in their first seasons. 

LATE SHOW NOT GOOD

After an overtime error by Matthews led to the loss in Boston, there was too much drama on Monday after Toronto failed to batten down the hatches with a 4-0 lead. Things were in doubt until Tavares’ empty-net goal. 

Berube harrumphed about two Jets conversions against his penalty kill and two other 6-on-5 goals — one on a delayed call and another with Connor Hellebuyck on the bench. But the Leafs didn’t allow a shot on net as the Jets potent power play went searching for a third marker late in the game.  

The Leafs had a travel day Tuesday and will have a full practice before hosting the Seattle Kraken on Halloween.

ON WILLY’S WAVE LENGTH

With the way Nylander finished the playoffs on such a strong note and the arrival of Berube, most figured it would be an ideal relationship. 

But there was the awkward training camp attempt to try Nylander at centre, then his three-game pointless streak that coincided with the three losses before Monday. Reuniting Nylander, Tavares and adding Pacioretty was the tonic, at least for a night. 

“Willy always has his groove to be honest,” Berube said. “He’s not the type of guy to let too much bother him. Get him out there, get him going, skating and doing his thing.  

“I talked about it the other day, that he wasn’t getting puck touches. When he does, he’s a dangerous player.”

Nylander leads the Leafs with six goals and trails Mitch Marner 11-10 for most points.

“Nothing to hide with the chemistry John and I have had in the past,” Nylander said of the new line. “Patch did an amazing job and we meshed off the hop. Sometimes a switch up is good.” 

MINTEN TO MARLIES 

While the Leafs were away the past couple of days, centre Fraser Minten completed the last of his rehab from a high ankle sprain and, on Tuesday morning, was activated from non-roster status to join the AHL Marlies.

Minten, the club’s first pick in 2022 at 38th overall, was hurt during the two-game rookie series with the Montreal Canadiens in late September.

He made the Leafs out of camp a year ago, staying four games before a return to the WHL, where he had 52 points in 52 regular-season and playoff games with Saskatoon. 

LOOSE LEAFS

The Leafs wore their ‘Bieber Blacks’ on Monday and, while some still aren’t thrilled about tinkering with a century-old blue and white uniform formula, those pitch-dark helmets are aesthetically ideal for the new Milk and Oreo sponsorships … Amazon Prime games have been good for the Leafs, who are now 2-0, outscoring foes 11-6 while putting 67 total shots on net … Easton Cowan, last year’s first-round pick, had 10 points in his first eight games with the OHL London Knights. 

Lhornby@postmedia.com 

X: @sunhornby