There is concern that the team’s current 5-game losing streak is spinning out of control to wreck chances of getting another playoff crack.
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Craig Berube is no stranger to early season club reclamation projects.
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It’s just that last time, he was part of the solution rather than perceived as part of the problem.
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With the Blues visiting Toronto on Tuesday, Berube is still celebrated in St. Louis for taking control of a scuffling side with a record of 7–9-3 on Nov. 19, 2018, gradually turning them into Stanley Cup champions. That wasn’t easy as the former assistant to Mike Yeo was still seven games under .500 on New Year’s Day. The calendar year brought a franchise-best 11-game winning streak and Missouri’s first puck predominance since it joined the NHL in 1967.
That was also the year of Toronto’s last Cup, and there is concern — legit or not — that its current five-game losing streak (8-9-2 overall) is spinning out of control to wreck chances of getting another playoff crack.
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Having heard the same calls for drastic measures whenever Sheldon Keefe’s Leafs skidded, all ending in 100-point seasons for Berube’s predecessor, we don’t advocate torches and pitchforks on Bay St. quite yet. General manager Brad Treliving will also remain supportive of his own hire after Keefe’s many playoff elimination game failures caught up with him, having dispatched his trade pieces in draft capital already.
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Berube reached the 100-game mark in Toronto last week with a record of 60-34-6, however, scraping the bottom of the division and conference on Grey Cup Sunday wasn’t in this season’s plan.
People are rightly miffed that retaining the same six defencemen on a team seventh-ranked in goals against, the same No. 1 goalie and four new forwards supposed to collectively ease the loss of two-way winger Mitch Marner, have been among problem areas on their side of centre.
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The only change with the bench staff was Derek Lalonde replacing Lane Lambert as assistant.
And as the Leafs keep refusing to state injuries as an excuse — Saturday’s loss in Chicago was minus Auston Matthews, Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo and Anthony Stolarz — it’s put lack of depth, grasp of systems and an inability to close out games under scrutiny. The past two one-goal defeats came with Toronto in charge during the late stages.
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“Right now, we’re a bit unconfident,” Berube told reporters in Chicago as the Leafs took Sunday off. “But we have to get through that. We have the leads. We get a power play in (Saturday’s) third period (one of three after many Leafs have bleated they should be getting more calls) and do nothing with it.
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“I gotta motivate them the best way I can. Maybe it’s a kick in the ass (figuratively of course which he’s done by barking on the bench) or maybe it’s positive reinforcement, too.”
“We’re missing (Tanev and Carlo) who play minutes and that’s the way it goes. Little things cost games. We need more from the guys who don’t play a lot of minutes.”
Tanev, the team’s best shot blocker, has played just eight games. Philippe Myers factored in two goals against, with an over-reliance on Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Morgan Rielly all in the 25-minute range against the Hawks.
Blueline aid is on the way for Tuesday versus St. Louis (6-9-4), with the possibility of Carlo’s return from a lower body injury and the arrival of Saturday waiver claim Troy Stecher, a 566-game NHL veteran.
The Leafs must turn this around sometime and what better symbolism for Berube and company than to start it against the Bluenote.
lhornby@postmedia.com
X: @sunhornby
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