Leafs head coach Craig Berube wasn't pleased with the play of John Tavares, William Nylander and Mitch Marner, but is hesitant to disband them due to Domi's play.
Despite winning 3-1 on Thursday over the Seattle Kraken, Leafs head coach Craig Berube was surprisingly critical of his $33M second line of Tavares, Nylander and Marner following the game.
"I thought they were fine, but they could've executed better in some situations where they normally would. They kind of mishandled pucks and didn't execute the pass at the time. There were opportunities for them to strike and get some opportunities, but I didn't think they executed well enough," said Berube on Thursday.
The comments spurred speculation that it was a one-game trial for the trio, but at practice on Friday, the line remained together, thanks in large part to the play of Max Domi on the Leafs' top line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.
While Domi is still goalless since mid-December, spending the last two games on the wing has re-invigorated the 29-year-old which hasn't gone unnoticed by Berube.
"I kept the line together with Matthews, Domi, and Knies," said Berube Thursday morning. "I thought they had a really good game (in Calgary). I liked Max on the line. It felt like he had more juice in the game. I want to keep him going."
As the Leafs prepare for their final game before the 4 Nations break, the Leafs are hopeful that Domi will be able to find his scoring touch alongside Matthews and Knies, the same way he did in the second half of last season.