Although the Toronto Maple Leafs are dead last in the Eastern Conference, head coach Craig Berube appears to be a proponent of radical positivity.

Berube implored his team to look at the ‘glass half-full, not half-empty’ as Auston Matthews led the team stretch to conclude Tuesday’s practice. Toronto sports a 9-10-3 record ahead of a critical five-game road trip that could be the catalyst for seismic change.

“That’s the way you got to look at things,” Berube said. “The glass is half full. We got an opportunity to go in here tomorrow and get two points and that’s got to be our focus and then we’ll go from there to the next game.”

Berube and the Maple Leafs will continue on their road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. Toronto is still reeling from an embarrassing 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, where Joseph Woll was mercifully pulled during the second period. Woll didn’t see it that way and wanted to remain in the game.

“He was so pissed off at me for pulling him the other night but I like that. He wanted to be there and fight, and that’s good,” Berube said of Woll.

Woll made 21 saves on 25 shots, before being replaced by Dennis Hildeby on Saturday. The 28-year-old will likely make his fifth consecutive start on Wednesday, with Hildeby projected as his backup.

“I was having fun battling out there,” Woll said. “Of course, anytime you get out of the net, you’re not happy, but I thought we still had a chance to come back. I thought we were getting some momentum. It ended up not going our way.”

Woll has posted a 1-2-1 record with a .905 save percentage in four appearances this season.

It’s been a dreadful start to the Maple Leafs’ season, but the team is still looking to find positives, embarking on a stretch that could change the tenor of the season, and the long-term prospectus of the franchise overall.

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