Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube believes that the recently concluded holiday break came at a good time for his team.

After a road trip from hell that saw a change behind the bench, the Leafs responded with a much-needed win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday afternoon to go into Christmas feeling better about themselves. While there is still a lot of work to do for them to regain a playoff spot, it doesn’t hurt to have a few days off to regroup for the next stretch of the season.

“ It’s a good win before the break, and going in with a positive attitude into the break,” he said to reporters after the morning skate on Saturday. “I think those days off are important for sure. A little reset and bring some energy tonight. Gotta do a lot of the same things we did last game.”

Berube felt that the mood at the morning skate was a positive one ahead of a crucial game against the Ottawa Senators. It helped that Brandon Carlo was skating with the main group, to which Berube noted the defenceman is progressing well and hopes for no additional setbacks. Berube did rule out the possibility of Carlo’s return being imminent, as he feels he needs to first practice in a full capacity.

It also marks the first morning skate with Steve Sullivan at the helm, after being recently promoted from the Toronto Marlies to become an assistant coach. Berube said it was great to have the long-time former NHL player around the group and mentioned that the plan is for Sullivan to run the power-play alongside Derek Lalonde for the time being.

“ I think just the new voice, and just some different setups going forward here right now,” he said when asked what he wants the focus of the power-play to be. “ We don’t need to complicate anything right now. We need to get some feel back on the power-play and get some chemistry going here with the units.”

Berube also provided some clarity on Anthony Stolarz, stating the goaltender will be out indefinitely and no clear timeline on when he will return to the crease. The Leafs will therefore ride the tandem of Dennis Hildeby and Joseph Woll for the foreseeable future, with the latter projected to get the start against the Senators.

The lines are expected to remain unchanged from what they used against the Penguins on Saturday, which means Easton Cowan will be a healthy scratch for a third straight game.

“The conversations with him (have been) we won last game, just be patient,” Berube said. “But we definitely do not want him sitting out too long. That’s not good for his growth. I think he helps us.  I think he’s a good player and he’s only gonna get better.”