Craig Berube on whether facing Marner adds extra juice to the Leafs vs. VGK game: "For sure, it does... There is always juice both ways"

"We talked about it a few times. With Matthews missing time, there was always a conversation with him. He had no issue with it. He was all ready for it. What I did was just have him practice taking draws every day, in case we did make that switch for a bit. He was a guy who touched all parts of the game and had the impact he had on the team and the team game, for sure."

"Getting back to how we have been playing with our game. Our puck play wasn't very good. Our routes weren't very good. Mentally, you could tell that we weren't sharp. I get the physical side of things; we traveled, and it was a hard game in Colorado. I get all of that. But mentally, we weren't sharp in the game, and it caused us a lot of issues."

Mitch Marner facing his former team adds competitive energy for both sides and resembles a former teammate returning. Coaching staff considered moving Marner to center while Matthews was unavailable and prepared him by having him practice taking draws daily. Marner previously affected many aspects of team play and his departure required adjustment, especially given his long partnership with Matthews. The primary focus after a poor performance in Utah is restoring puck possession, route execution, and mental sharpness, which suffered despite understandable physical fatigue. Dealing with injuries and other adversity is difficult but can build team resilience.

Read at Maple Leafs Hotstove