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Craig Berube praises Chris Tanev’s shot blocking abilities ahead of Game 3 vs. Panthers
Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
May 9, 2025, 13:15 EDTUpdated: May 9, 2025, 19:02 EDT
Eight games into the playoffs, it’s clear the Toronto Maple Leafs are delivering on being the more physical and aggressive postseason team that was promised under the leadership of tough guy Craig Berube.
Heading into Game 3 against the Florida Panthers with a 2-0 series lead, one of the difference makers against a team with size like Florida has been a willingness from the Maple Leafs to put their body on the line, literally. Per Sportsnet Stats, Toronto currently has a league-high 177 blocked shots and a +77 blocked shot differential in the playoffs so far. In a series as tight as this one has been so far, those blocks could mean the difference between advancing to the next round or hitting the golf course.
Undeniably, no one has been more of a warrior for the Maple Leafs than veteran blueliner Chris Tanev. The 6-foot-3, 199-pound defenceman is currently top five in the playoffs in blocked shots with 23 (two players have 24 and two others have 23 at this point).
Speaking to media Friday ahead of Game 3, Berube praised his blue line’s shot blocking efforts, singling out Tanev in particular.
“It’s huge,” Berube said. “Our team has really fed off that side of what he brings to the table, night in, night out throughout the year. He’s definitely a guy we’ve brought here that’s made a living off that and it’s really rubbed off on our team, that’s important.”
Tanev signed with the Maple Leafs last summer after he was dealt from the Dallas Stars, inking a six-year, $27 million contract, worth $4.5 million annually. In his first season with the team, he finished sixth in the league in blocked shots with 189 in 75 games played. Long criticized in playoffs past as a highly-skilled but soft team, the Maple Leafs have a new mentality under Berube, and Tanev is part of the wave of players who helped instill that in the team and continue it into the playoffs.
Along with that increased physicality comes an increased toll on the body, especially through a deep playoff run. With that in mind, Berube stressed the importance of rest on off-days for his team to gear up for the next contest coming their way.
“I think the day in between games is a time to get away from it a little bit and rest,” Berube said. “I don’t think you need to wrap your head around the game on the day off. I think it’s good to get away and get emotionally ready, again physically, but on the mental side of it too. So we try to stress just, good job tonight, it’s over with. Get away from it for a day and rest up, because we’re back at it again and we need it tonight.”
Now, the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to continue to bring the boom as the series shifts to Sunrise, with a hungry Panthers team looking for their first win of the series.
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