‘Wake The F*** Up’: William Nylander Confirms Coach Craig Berube’s Fiery Timeout Message To Maple Leafs Amid Slow Start Against Islanders

The Toronto Maple Leafs stumbled out of the gate Saturday night against the New York Islanders, conceding two goals on just four shots in the first five minutes. Head coach Craig Berube wasted no time addressing the team’s sluggish start, calling a timeout to deliver a blunt message.

“Just wake the f*** up,” Berube said, as confirmed by William Nylander in his post-game comments.

The Leafs, playing their third back-to-back of December, struggled early against a well-rested Islanders team that hasn't played since Tuesday. Despite a valiant effort from Nylander, who scored twice to notch his 33rd career multi-goal game, Toronto ultimately fell 6-3.

A Sluggish Start

The Islanders took immediate advantage of Toronto’s lack of energy, with two quick goals that left the Leafs trailing and scrambling. Berube’s timeout was an attempt to reset the team’s focus – still with plenty of game left to be played.

“We came out a little slow, not making so many battles and they came out on. I mean, they scored, I think it was two quick ones, right? And kind of the uphill battle started there,” Nylander said. “I felt like every time we scored, we managed to give one up. So that's a tough one.”

Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson felt the same way about the lackluster start: “Yeah, we were not ready,” he said. “From the start, it felt like we were a couple of steps behind. They came out, they were skating, and we did not. So I think that was the biggest difference.”

Despite a heavy December schedule, both Nylander and Ekman-Larsson dismissed it as any making of an excuse.

“I don't think it matters,” said Nylander. “It's just maybe more so mental, I think, for the start,” with Ekman-Larsson adding, “I don't think we have an excuse. I think we've got to be able to play better than that. We can't use that we played last night."

"We've got to be smarter, simplify breakouts, simplify puck plays a little bit. There's going to be nights you don't have the legs, but you've got to be smarter out there. We've got to find ways to play better than what we did tonight.”

Berube was candid in his post-game assessment of the loss, chalking it up as a “surprise,” calling out the team’s lack of composure and mental lapses that ended up being the deciding factor in the outcome.

The Islanders, meanwhile, who hadn't played since Tuesday, had fresh legs.

And it showed early on in the first period and as the game progressed.

“You're on a back-to-back, fresh team waiting for you. Hasn't played in a while. And we give up two two-on-ones in the first five minutes of the game. That's how I see it. Just not very smart,” Berube explained.

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“They're on their toes better. We weren't very smart. I get that they're rested. They're going to be a little bit quicker. But we've got to play smarter than that. We just can't give them freebies. And we gave them two freebies right away and got behind. And, you know, it wasn't a good game,” he added.

William Nylander, Message Received

One bright spot for the club was Nylander, who despite the loss, provided any sort of ‘jump’ the Leafs could get, scoring twice for his team-leading 22nd and 23rd goals of the regular season.

He now leads the NHL in home goals this season with 15 and sits second in the league with 23 goals overall, trailing only Leon Draisaitl (24). Nylander has five goals in his last three games, 10 points in his last six, and is riding a six-game point streak.

It was also the 17th consecutive game in which a member of Toronto’s ‘Core Four’ – Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, or John Tavares – scored a goal.

“I thought Willy was skating early in the game and had a good jump,” said Berube of Nylander. “And, you know, he wants a puck and wants to make things happen with it. He's motivated.”

The Leafs have one game remaining before a brief holiday break, set to host the Winnipeg Jets on Monday in a matinee matchup. With no game on Sunday, the priority will be to ensure the Leafs avoid another start like Saturday’s.