Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube believes superstar forward Mitch Marner needs to be better going forward.
Toronto won the first two games of the series but lost Games 3 and 4 against the Florida Panthers. In the two losses, Marner didn’t record a shot on goal in either game. Although Marner is considerd a playmaker, he still scores plenty and is a key part of Toronto’s offense.
So, after back-to-back games of no shots on goal, Berube called out Marner urging him to shoot more.
“Sometimes your top guys, they’re looking to get too good of a chance sometimes instead of just putting the puck on net,” Berube said on May 12. “I think there’s times where we could put more pucks on net at angles, bad angles, just firing it in there with people going to the net. You never know, it goes off somebody, rebounds or anything like that.
“I think Mitch could just be a little bit more direct in that area,” Berube added. “He has the puck a lot, we know that, and he’s got to look to put more pucks to the net. I get what he’s trying to do, he wants to upgrade his chance, upgrade the chance. He’s a passer first, we know that, but we need him to shoot pucks too. So yeah, I agree with you on that. Two games without a shot, he’s got to shoot the puck.”
Marner is in the final year of his six-year, $65.41 millon deal. If the star forward is going to get a massive payday in free agency he will need to perform in the playoffs.
Marner has 2 goals and 10 assists for 12 points in 10 playoff games, but has just 1 shot on goal in. the last 3 games.
Maple Leafs Coach Expects Goals to Come For Matthews
Toronto captain and star player Auston Matthews has yet to score a goal in the second round of the playoff series.
Matthews is supposed to be Toronto’s top goalscorer but that hasn’t been the case this series. However, Berube believes the goals are going to come for Matthews, who is tasked with also being a shutdown defender.
“He’s got to keep playing,” Berube said. “I get it, but he does a lot of other things in the game that really dictate things and does a great job with a lot of other areas of the game. He’s just got to keep focusing on that. I mean, he’s going to get his looks and just stick with what he’s doing and don’t get too frustrated with anything because it’s not just about scoring goals. He’s got a lot of other stuff he does really extremely well for us.
“Big goal’s coming. That’s the way you’ve got to think about it. Who knows when it’s going to happen, but just focus on playing the game and he’s doing a good job,” Berube added. “I get it. The puck’s not going in the net for him. But again, it’s not all about scoring.”
Berube knows him killing penalities and focusing on defense has hurt his offense. But, the Maple Leafs coach isn’t worried about Matthews not having a goal in this series.
Maple Leafs Coach Confident in Group
Despite Toronto not having a goal by Matthws or Marner not shooting, Berube is confident in his group.
The Maple Leafs have only lost two games, so Berube doesn’t think it’s time to panic. Instead, he has confidence in his group heading into Game 5.
“I think that the group understands it’s going to be a tough series,” Berube said. “We knew that going in. It’s going to be a long series. We lose two (in Florida) here, but we lost two against Ottawa in a row and came out in Game 6 and got it done.”
Game 5 is set for May 14 in Toronto at 7 p.m. ET.
Maple Leafs Coach Calls Out $65.41 Million Star After Lackluster Game 4