When asked about what the key was to get his top forwards going, Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube simply shrugged his shoulders. Playoffs or no playoffs, it’s still a simple game, a message he constantly drives into his team.
“Offensively, yeah, they just played,” he said. “We talked about how the intensity rises up in the playoffs and all this other stuff, but in the end they just got to go play.”
They did exactly that, and at a high level too, although Marner said the offensive outburst guarantees nothing.
“I don’t think we think of it that way,” he said when asked if the six-goal output instilled confidence in the Core Four. “I think we just look at it as wins, and just to start off with a win is great.”
But …
“It’s going to be even harder to win the next one,” Marner said. “And we’re going to have to figure out how to be a little bit better.”
Tavares agreed.
“I mean, scoring is always great and is a good sign of things, but whatever the game requires and whatever is needed the most is the most important thing,” he said. “So, whether that’s winning 1-0 or having a night like we did tonight where we were able to create a lot of chances and finish our chances, we’ll do whatever it takes to earn the next one.”
Whatever the case, racking up a half dozen goals certainly helps, especially for a team that’s had postseason scoring issues in the past.
