‘I Don’t Know If He’s Pissed Off At Me Or What’: Craig Berube Jokes After Mitch Marner Sends Two Pucks Into Maple Leafs’ Bench Against Lightning

Marner accidentally shot the puck into the Leafs’ bench twice in Saturday’s game against the Lightning…

The Toronto Maple Leafs held on for a 5-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, but it wasn’t the club’s offensive presence and fifth win in six games that had head coach Craig Berube in a joking mood post-game.

Star forward Mitch Marner accidentally sent the puck into the Maple Leafs’ bench – twice – nearly hitting Berube and the coaching staff in the process.

“I almost got hit twice,” Berube said after the game. “I’ve got to talk to Mitch. I think he’s, I don’t know if he’s pissed off at me or what, I guess he needs more ice time,” he joked.
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The humorous exchange added another layer to an ongoing inside joke within the Maple Leafs locker room that started earlier this season when William Nylander publicly campaigned for increased minutes.

Nylander, who has played a pivotal role during Toronto’s recent injury problems, has seen his ice time spike, particularly on the power play. With key players like Auston Matthews sidelined due to an upper-body injury, Nylander averaged 4:02 per game on the man advantage playing on both units, the highest on the team.

Despite the return of Matthews and Matthew Knies to the lineup, the Maple Leafs appear content to keep Nylander’s increased playing time intact. On Saturday, Nylander earned the second most ice time among forwards with 20:35.

“Well, he likes it. He’s got his ice time up,” Berube said on Friday. “We’re missing a lot of players, and I think Willy staying out there, he’s not used on the penalty kill, and the ice time works out well. He’s the type of guy that can handle it. He makes a second unit better. That’s the bottom line.”

While Nylander had intent behind his comments, Marner’s accidental shots into the bench were a more unconventional and unintentional way of joining the ice-time banter.

Marner’s regular minutes already place him among the team’s most-utilized skaters, but Berube’s comments are a playful jab of “friendly fire.” It’s safe to say Marner wasn’t aiming to make a statement – at least not in that way.