Leafs look for bounce-back performance in Berube Bowl

Craig Berube isn't sure where his Stanley Cup ring is. 

"At home somewhere," the new Maple Leafs coach said. "It's not on display. My wife probably has it. Maybe she sold it. I don't know. I haven't seen it in a long time, so I am not sure exactly where it is at."

Berube isn't exactly a sentimental guy, so it's no surprise he's downplaying Thursday's reunion with his old team. Berube led the Blues to the franchise's first Stanley Cup championship in 2019. Now, he's getting set to coach against them for the first time since being fired last December. 

Berube took time to catch up with old friends outside the Blues dressing room before the morning skate. 

"Good for him to come over and show respect to the players," said Blues captain Brayden Schenn. "It's always good to see him. It wasn't just players. Training staff and everyone was making sure they were going over to say hello."

"There are emotions, but once the puck drops, they're over," Berube insisted.

Berube doesn't give away much, but players on both sides sense this one means a bit more than just the two points at stake. 

"I think it means a lot to him," said top-line winger Matthew Knies. "I don't think he's going to say much about it, but to us in this locker room, we want to try and get the win for him and dominate and be the team we know we can be. We're going to try and do it for him."

"It's a huge game for him," said Blues winger Jordan Kyrou. "I'm sure he's super pumped."

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Asked a second question about facing his old team, Berube pumped the brakes on the storyline. 

"I have a lot of really good feelings for these people, but in the end, we need two points," he said. "I can't stress that enough. It is just about us."

The Leafs are coming off what was by far their worst performance under Berube. Toronto fell 6-2 to the rebuilding Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. They were playing for the third time in four nights, but the coach wasn't in the mood to make any excuses. 

"We didn't check," Berube diagnosed. "If we checked early in the game, I think we would've been in good shape, but we didn't check early in the game and got down 3-0. You're playing catch up, and we couldn't get a goal by the goalie. We had opportunities, and we didn't score. You put yourself in a hole."

Berube's response on Tuesday night was measured. The players enjoyed a day off on Wednesday and the group didn't spend much time rehashing the Blue Jacket beat down on Thursday morning. 

"There was a short evaluation and then there was a, 'Forget about it and move on,'" revealed veteran winger Ryan Reaves. "I think a guy like him who's played in the league understands that you can't have your best night every night."

The Leafs allowed six 5-on-5 goals on Tuesday. Entering that game, they had given up just six 5-on-5 goals over their first six games combined. In general, Berube's Leafs have been on their game much of this season. And the coach's impact is already apparent. 

"Definitely they're more of a grittier team this year from watching games," said Kyrou. 

"The style of play he's bringing to this team, you know, just a little more hard-nosed, that's the main thing," said Reaves. "We play a little harder here right now, up and down the lineup, and I think that's something we need."

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After missing the first seven games due to groin tightness, Joseph Woll will make his season debut on Thursday.  

"He has been progressing in the right direction for some time now," said Berube. "We had this date picked out for when he would get the start. It is just about making sure he is ready and comfortable. Everyone is on board with him being ready to go. This is what we picked."

Woll is from St. Louis and will be facing his hometown team for the first time. He last played in Toronto's pre-season finale on Oct. 5. 

Richmond Hill, Ont. native Jordan Binnington will start against his hometown team as well. Binnington is in the mix to be part of Team Canada at the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off in February. 

"When you're looking at the Canadian squad, like, his name's gotta be at the top of the list," said Blues coach Drew Bannister. "High hockey IQ, very efficient getting out to pucks and moving pucks. Binner's going to be there at the end. He's going to be a guy who pushes. He wants that. He's a competitive guy. Like, he's not going to give up that spot."

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After leaving Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury, Max Pacioretty did not skate on Thursday and will not dress against the Blues. He's officially listed as day-to-day by Berube. David Kampf will draw back in after being a healthy scratch in Columbus. 

The Blues are without centre Robert Thomas who fractured his ankle in Tuesday's loss to the Winnipeg Jets. He will be re-evaluated in six weeks. 

But St. Louis will get Oskar Sundqvist, who's been out since suffering a torn ACL in his right knee on March 25, back on Thursday. 

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Reaves hasn't dropped the gloves yet in the regular season. Did he come close to going with Matt Rempe during Saturday's game against the New York Rangers? 

"I told him, 'If you go out and do something I would give him one,' and he buried his own player," Reaves said. "That was about it, so not much going on."

Reaves picked up his first penalty minutes of the season – a pair of roughing minors – during Tuesday's game in Columbus.  

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Projected Leafs lineup for Thursday's game: 

Knies - Matthews - Marner 

McMann - Domi - Nylander 

Holmberg - Tavares - Robertson (L) 

Lorentz - Kampf - Reaves 

Rielly - Tanev 

Ekman-Larsson - McCabe (L)

Benoit - Timmins

Woll starts 

Stolarz