<p>The Toronto Maple Leafs are a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup this season, and it has everything to do with their ability to defend.</p>
<p>The Leafs put on a <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/knee-jerk-reaction-toronto-maple-leafs-clinch-home-ice-canadiens">defensive clinic on Saturday night</a> against the hungry Montreal Canadiens, who were looking to clinch a wild-card position in the Eastern Conference. The Leafs managed to hold the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/knee-jerk-reaction-toronto-maple-leafs-clinch-home-ice-canadiens">Canadiens scoreless</a>, winning 1-0 on a Mitch Marner overtime winner, in a game they dressed five defencemen. Berube and company continue to preach a 200-foot game for everyone to buy into, and with just three games left in the regular season, the Maple Leafs could be peaking at the absolute right time.</p>
<p>&#8220;We talked about, just playing really good defence, tight, and I thought our team did that,&#8221; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6jTxf5WlqA">Berube said</a> following Saturday&#8217;s victory. &#8220;I didn&#8217;t think we spent much time in our D-zone, you know nothing off the rush, the forwards did a really good job getting above people tonight, and our D were really good I thought.&#8221;</p>
<p>While the Maple Leafs will be able to dress a full lineup come the Stanley Cup Playoffs, thanks to no worries about a salary cap, on Saturday night it was a rare scene. With Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe unavailable, and no flexibility under the cap, the Leafs played a man down on the back end, and it was the buy in from everyone on the team that Berube loved to see the most.</p>
<p>&#8220;We talked about it from the morning on, about how we needed to play this game tonight, and protect our defence. They did a good job, yeah. There was definitely an awareness, being above people tonight, check.&#8221;</p>
<p>Marner did his part to fill in when needed throughout Saturday&#8217;s contest. Marner has an uncanny ability to fill in wherever needed for this Leafs&#8217; team, playing some shifts on defence, and Berube knows regardless of where he puts Marner in the lineup, he can rely on him to get the job done.</p>
<p>&#8220;He was fine, not a lot happened with it. He was on D in overtime too, he&#8217;s a smart player, and knows how to play the position, understands the game extremely well.&#8221;</p>
<p>Berube and the Maple Leafs look to continue to fine-tune their games in <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-expected-call-up-dakota-mermis-emergency-basis">Carolina on Sunday</a>, taking on the Hurricanes in the second half of a weekend back-to-back.</p>
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup this season, and it has everything to do with their ability to defend.

The Leafs put on a <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/knee-jerk-reaction-toronto-maple-leafs-clinch-home-ice-canadiens">defensive clinic on Saturday night</a> against the hungry Montreal Canadiens, who were looking to clinch a wild-card position in the Eastern Conference. The Leafs managed to hold the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/knee-jerk-reaction-toronto-maple-leafs-clinch-home-ice-canadiens">Canadiens scoreless</a>, winning 1-0 on a Mitch Marner overtime winner, in a game they dressed five defencemen. Berube and company continue to preach a 200-foot game for everyone to buy into, and with just three games left in the regular season, the Maple Leafs could be peaking at the absolute right time.

"We talked about, just playing really good defence, tight, and I thought our team did that," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6jTxf5WlqA">Berube said</a> following Saturday's victory. "I didn't think we spent much time in our D-zone, you know nothing off the rush, the forwards did a really good job getting above people tonight, and our D were really good I thought."

While the Maple Leafs will be able to dress a full lineup come the Stanley Cup Playoffs, thanks to no worries about a salary cap, on Saturday night it was a rare scene. With Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe unavailable, and no flexibility under the cap, the Leafs played a man down on the back end, and it was the buy in from everyone on the team that Berube loved to see the most.

"We talked about it from the morning on, about how we needed to play this game tonight, and protect our defence. They did a good job, yeah. There was definitely an awareness, being above people tonight, check."

Marner did his part to fill in when needed throughout Saturday's contest. Marner has an uncanny ability to fill in wherever needed for this Leafs' team, playing some shifts on defence, and Berube knows regardless of where he puts Marner in the lineup, he can rely on him to get the job done.

"He was fine, not a lot happened with it. He was on D in overtime too, he's a smart player, and knows how to play the position, understands the game extremely well."

Berube and the Maple Leafs look to continue to fine-tune their games in <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-expected-call-up-dakota-mermis-emergency-basis">Carolina on Sunday</a>, taking on the Hurricanes in the second half of a weekend back-to-back.
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Craig Berube thrilled with Maple Leafs’ commitment to team defence

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