Craig Berube praises new-look Leafs first line despite loss to Sabres

"Auston Matthews has been locked with winger Matthew Knies to start the season but for a jolt of offense, Berube decided to have William Nylander on Matthews's right and gutsy winger Bobby McMann on his left. This new-look first line received some praise from the bench boss. "They looked really good," Berube said of Matthews and Nylander playing together Friday night. "They were quick. They supported each other really well and were strong on pucks. There was a lot of offensive-zone time. A lot of good things from that line.""

"During the 5-3 loss, the new first line played a total of 12:19 TOI at 5-on-5 and in those minutes essentially split the impact compared to what the Sabres were able to do with them out there. They earned a 12-10 shot attempt advantage, but were outshot 7-6 and earned just 49.68 percent of the expected goals share, according to Natural Stat Trick. Basically, they drew even. Nylander did end up scoring while the line was on the ice, but it was a quick counterattack breakaway, so it might not necessarily be proof that they were playing better than the Sabres, too."

Craig Berube reconfigured the Maple Leafs' top line, placing William Nylander on Auston Matthews's right and Bobby McMann on his left while Matthews had previously skated with Matthew Knies. The new trio logged 12:19 of 5-on-5 ice time and registered a 12-10 shot attempt advantage but were outshot 7-6 and held a 49.68 percent expected goals share. Nylander scored on a quick counterattack while the line was on the ice. On the power play, Matthews scored his fifth goal with a one-timer from the bottom of the faceoff dot. The trio is slated to remain together.

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