Back-to-back losses and rising tempers in the playoff series—it’s been a wild ride for the Maple Leafs against the Florida Panthers. After storming out to a 2–0 series lead, the Leafs saw the Panthers claw back to even things at 2–2. And Craig Berube? Though not visibly frustrated, he chose a composed yet defiant approach while emphasizing the importance of rest and reset. Because the head coach said, “I think the two days is really good for our team. It takes a lot of energy in the playoffs, and a lot of guys play heavy minutes.” And while the Maple Leafs now try to tighten their grip in Game 5, it looks like Berube isn’t ready to make any flexible changes now.
Well, the news came in via X when the Leafs reporter Jonas Siegel dropped the bombshell! But what? “It appears the Leafs won’t be changing their forward lines in Game 5,” the post read. How does it even matter? Because Berube, in one of his media interviews earlier, hinted at the possibility of tweaking the lineup ahead of Game 5, however, the Morning Skate told a different story. To say that despite back-to-back losses and rising calls for a shake-up, the Leafs might be sticking with the same forward combinations.
However, the decision came as a mild surprise when the Maple Leafs lost 2-0 to the Panthers. But now the pair seems like the usual one, especially with the top line, made up of the team’s best offensive players, with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner expected to score and lead the attack alongside Matthew Knies, adding the energy and physicality to lead further.
It appears the Leafs won’t be changing their forward lines in Game 5.
No changes at practice today:
Knies — Matthews — Marner
Pacioretty — Tavares — Nylander
McMann — Domi — Holmberg
Lorentz — Laughton — Järnkrok
— Jonas Siegel (@jonassiegel) May 13, 2025
Nevertheless, this becomes a risky point, especially when, in Game 4, the same lineup didn’t show any productive results. To say that despite a string of undisciplined penalties (the Leafs took four first-period penalties, gifting Florida a power-play goal and a 2–0 shutout), Berube didn’t look forward to making any changes during the practice sessions.
Hence, this unexpected update on X not only sparked concerns but also made analysts and fans guess that perhaps it could be too costly to bring any immediate change with Game 5 approaching soon now. Because Berube already had other plans lined up that prepare his squad in a tough way to face the Panthers in the coming clashes. But how?
The Maple Leafs coach knows the best approach to follow ahead of Game 5!
Despite refraining from making any significant lineup changes, Berube did take a more strategic yet mental approach. “It’s a good day and reset and we’ll be ready for game 5,” he stated clearly while surrounding his team in a cool yet calm atmosphere. After all, what’s more important than to sit and relax after going through such high-intensity games?
And he made it clear by drawing parallels to previous comebacks, especially the one against the Ottawa Senators in Round 1 and reminded everyone of how his team bounced back after consecutive losses. “I think the group understands it was going to be a tough series. We knew that going in, it’s going to be a long series. We lose two at home here, but you know we lost two against Ottawa in a row and came out in game six and got it done, so we got to reset. We’ll be fine. Get some rest here,” he further stated while sending a steady message of recovery and comeback.
Hence, even if no major changes are made to the lineup, the Maple Leafs coach is aware of how intensity and discipline can make or break a series. While not calling out the physicality directly, his focus remains on keeping composure and managing the emotional side of the game. Now that shows pretty well how he’s preparing his players not just for Game 5, but for the full spectrum of playoff warfare, right?
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