Craig Berube on the Leafs' miserable 0-4-1 homestand: "Until we decide to do things right and keep the puck out of our net -- goalies included -- this is what we're going to get"

"We had a couple of bad breaks go off our guys, but at the end of the first period, we turned the puck over, and they scored. At the end of the second period, it is a shot from the point, but we don't have our guys in front of the net, and they score. That is the difference in the game for me."

"Well, that we have to keep the puck out of the net is what I learned. We didn't do that here at home, other than the Detroit game. It is the only game we did. Until we decide to do things right and keep the puck out of our net - and that is the goalies included - this is what you are going to get."

"That is a couple of things: managing the game, puck play, don't give odd-man rushes up, and defend harder than we are. We need more desperation defending, and the goalies need to stop the puck. That's it. We can score goals. We score goals. But until we want to keep the puck out of our net, this is what we're going to get."

The Maple Leafs lost 7-4 to the Buffalo Sabres, dropping their record to 24-20-9. Multiple bad breaks and turnovers at the ends of periods directly led to opponent goals. The team allowed another early third-period goal after successive mistakes. The homestand produced a 0-4-1 record largely because the team failed to keep the puck out of its net despite scoring enough goals. Defensive shortcomings include poor net-front coverage, risky puck play, and yielding odd-man rushes. The coach emphasized the need for players to do their jobs, increase defensive desperation, and for goalies to make saves while the team focuses on cleaning up errors.

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