Leafs HC Craig Berube makes his expectations extremely clear ahead of must-win Game 6 against Panthers

After losing Game 5 by a score of 6-1, the Toronto Maple Leafs are preparing for Game 6. It will be played Friday at 8 p.m. EDT on Sportsnet. The Leafs must win to keep their season alive.

Head Coach Craig Berube made his expectations clear ahead of Game 6 against the Florida Panthers. He spoke to the media after Thursday’s practice.

Berube was direct about the team’s poor effort in the 6-1 loss in Game 5. He said the Leafs didn’t create enough pressure near the net (13:10):

"We got to get, you know, we got to do a better job of creating more high danger shots, in my opinion, you know, than we did last game."

He explained that just taking shots isn’t enough. Players need to follow up and battle near the crease:

“Shooting a puck and then getting to the inside for a next shot and a rebound."

Berube pointed out that the Panthers goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, is tough to beat:

“He's a first save goalie. He's an effort goalie."

To win Game 6, the Leafs must increase pressure around the net.

"So, you know, we're gonna, we're gonna have to out compete the goalie," Berube added.

Berube didn’t sugarcoat his thoughts on Game 5 either, via nytimes.com:

“Tonight wasn't a good game for anybody. Anybody. There were mistakes. A lot of mistakes.”

Leafs coach Craig Berube urges calm after Game 5 loss

Craig Berube told his team to stay calm after the Game 5 loss. He said the score does not change the result — a loss is still a loss. Whether the game ended 2-1 or 6-1, it doesn’t matter now. Berube has seen this situation before and reminded players not to feel too down.

“A loss is a loss," Berube said. "If we would have lost 2-1 and it was a close game, would it really matter today? We got beat. I've been in this situation before. We're all going to be down and dejected, but we can't be. We have to regroup. … We will be a lot better in Game 6.”

He asked the team to take a short break and stop thinking about hockey for a night:

"They need to stick together tonight as a team and take a breath and stop thinking about the game. Relax. We'll get thinking about the game the next day, when it matters."

Toronto’s top players had a tough game. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Matthew Knies didn’t record any points. They were on the ice for several goals against.

Toronto made many errors and gave up goals early. Now, the team must win Game 6 to stay in the playoffs.