Newly hired Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke to the media for the first time Tuesday alongside president Brendan Shanahan and general manager Brad Treliving.

Berube, who was courted by multiple teams, mentioned the Maple Leafs' roster and the lure of coaching for the franchise as reasons he opted to come to Toronto.

The 2019 Stanley Cup-winning coach described the importance of communication between himself and his players.

"Communication is huge. I think one of my strengths is I'm a great communicator with my players," Berube told reporters. "They know where they stand. I'm gonna tell them when they're playing well; I'm gonna tell them when they're not playing well. I'm gonna tell them things that need to be improved upon. All types of things."

Treliving reiterated the vital nature of a player's relationship with their coach.

"To have success at this time of the year is very difficult, and you've gotta be able to push people into uncomfortable positions and into uncomfortable things," Treliving said. "Well, to me, you have to connect with people first. There has to be a partnership, a relationship, and a trust."

Treliving lauded former coach Sheldon Keefe but said, "It was time we needed something different. We needed a different delivery. A different voice giving the delivery. ... Craig comes at it in a different way."

The Maple Leafs talked to nine candidates during the interview process, Treliving said.

As part of that process, Shanahan noted the team spoke with a range of players who had played for Berube.

"They all came back to us with the same message: That he's a great coach, a great person, and ... 'I'd go through a wall for the guy.' So, it was impressive as we went through the interview process."

Berube described the style he's going to bring to the Maple Leafs.

"Competitive. We don't want to get outworked ever," he said. "We want to be highly competitive every night. And it's all about the team for me. That's one of the things I really focus on and that's part of building the team. Everybody's important on the team; everybody's gotta be used on the team. They all have jobs and roles on the team. That's a real important aspect for me."

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Newly hired Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube spoke to the media for the first time Tuesday alongside president Brendan Shanahan and general manager Brad Treliving.

Berube, who was courted by multiple teams, mentioned the Maple Leafs' roster and the lure of coaching for the franchise as reasons he opted to come to Toronto.

The 2019 Stanley Cup-winning coach described the importance of communication between himself and his players.

"Communication is huge. I think one of my strengths is I'm a great communicator with my players," Berube told reporters. "They know where they stand. I'm gonna tell them when they're playing well; I'm gonna tell them when they're not playing well. I'm gonna tell them things that need to be improved upon. All types of things."

Treliving reiterated the vital nature of a player's relationship with their coach.

"To have success at this time of the year is very difficult, and you've gotta be able to push people into uncomfortable positions and into uncomfortable things," Treliving said. "Well, to me, you have to connect with people first. There has to be a partnership, a relationship, and a trust."

Treliving lauded former coach Sheldon Keefe but said, "It was time we needed something different. We needed a different delivery. A different voice giving the delivery. ... Craig comes at it in a different way."

The Maple Leafs talked to nine candidates during the interview process, Treliving said.

As part of that process, Shanahan noted the team spoke with a range of players who had played for Berube.

"They all came back to us with the same message: That he's a great coach, a great person, and ... 'I'd go through a wall for the guy.' So, it was impressive as we went through the interview process."

Berube described the style he's going to bring to the Maple Leafs.

"Competitive. We don't want to get outworked ever," he said. "We want to be highly competitive every night. And it's all about the team for me. That's one of the things I really focus on and that's part of building the team. Everybody's important on the team; everybody's gotta be used on the team. They all have jobs and roles on the team. That's a real important aspect for me."

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Colorado Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin reflected on his bounce-back campaign after his season ended in Friday's Game 6 loss against the Dallas Stars and expressed a desire to remain with the team.

"Awesome," Drouin said of his first season in Colorado, according to DNVR Avalanche. "Obviously had tough years in Montreal, so to come here and play with this team, kinda find my way as the year went on, it was cool. It's a great bunch of guys, this staff is awesome. It's a great place to play hockey."

Drouin tallied 19 goals and a career-best 56 points in 79 games this year. His resurgent campaign came after a two-goal, 29-point season with the Canadiens.

"It was a good year for me. Definitely took some steps forward toward my game, how I want to play," Drouin said. "Credit to a lot of people here, from the coaching staff to the players. It's a hell of a group, a lot of good players."

Drouin signed a one-year contract worth $825,000 on July 1 with the Avalanche. He rekindled some of his chemistry with former Halifax Mooseheads teammate Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado a decade after the duo last shared the ice in the QMJHL.

The 29-year-old is a pending unrestricted free agent and is in line for a notable raise from his sub-$1-million cap hit.

"I'd love to come back here and sign here," Drouin said. "I've loved my time here, my family's loved their time."

Colorado has $15.9 million in projected cap space entering the summer, according to CapFriendly. The Avalanche have six forwards under contract for 2024-25, plus restricted free agent Casey Mittelstadt.

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The New York Islanders signed KHL free-agent forward Maxim Tsyplakov to a one-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Thursday.

Tsyplakov enjoyed a breakout campaign with Spartak Moscow in Russia's top league this season. He ranked fourth in the KHL with 31 goals and registered 47 points in 65 games. His previous best was 10 goals and 25 points in 2022-23.

The 25-year-old was third among KHL forwards with 145 hits. He's listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds.

Tsyplakov tallied two goals and four points in 11 postseason games. He finished the campaign playing on the wing but also operated at center during the regular season, winning 51.9% of his draws.

At least 12 NHL teams were interested in Tsyplakov's services, his agent said in February.

Tsyplakov won't require waivers and will be a restricted free agent when his contract expires next summer, according to CapFriendly.

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Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand addressed the collision with Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett that put him on the sidelines for Games 4 and 5.

"(Bennett) plays hard, he's an extremely physical player," Marchand said Thursday, according to Boston.com's Conor Ryan. "Great player for the group. I think he got away with a shot, but I'm not gonna complain. Shit happens. That's part of especially playoff hockey. I've been on the other side of a lot of plays. ... It sucks to be on the other side of it, but that stuff happens."

Bennett caught Marchand with a punch while bracing for a hit in Game 3. Bennett wasn't penalized on the play and didn't receive supplemental discipline.

"People don't want to say it, but part of playoffs is trying to hurt every player on the other team," Marchand continued. "And the more guys you take out, the more advantage your team has."

"If I have to get hurt to win? If I have to hurt someone to win? I don't care," Marchand added. "That's part of it. And I'm not going to complain, because if I'm him, I'm doing the same thing."

Marchand said he hopes to play in Friday's Game 6. The 36-year-old has three goals and 10 points in as many games this postseason.

Boston stayed alive Tuesday and will look to force a decisive Game 7 with a win Friday.

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Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet offered a positive update on goaltender Thatcher Demko's uncertain status Wednesday.

Tocchet said Demko has "improved immensely the last 72 hours" but wouldn't say if the netminder could be an option in Vancouver's second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers, according to TSN's Farhan Lalji.

Demko has been out since Game 1 of the first round versus the Nashville Predators with a knee injury. Reports last week suggested he'd be unavailable until at least Game 5 of the second round.

The Vezina Trophy finalist went 35-14-2 with a .918 save percentage in 51 games this season. He missed 14 contests during the regular season with an unrelated knee injury.

After backup Casey DeSmith was injured in Game 3 against the Predators, third-stringer Arturs Silovs took over the Canucks' crease and hasn't looked back. The Latvian has won four of seven starts and has a .907 save percentage in the playoffs, including a Game 6 shutout in Nashville to clinch the series for Vancouver.

The Canucks lost 3-2 in Tuesday's Game 4 and return to Vancouver with the series even at 2-2 against the Oilers.

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The Edmonton Oilers were full of praise for goaltender Calvin Pickard after he backstopped the team to a crucial Game 4 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.

"He looked like a guy that had played 100 playoff games," Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters. "Composed, really solid, seeing the puck really well. ... A lot of nice plays. Not only that, just the confidence being in net. I don't know how many times he played the puck really well. That's not a guy who's nervous at all, he's enjoying it."

Game 4 was Pickard's first career start in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The 32-year-old made 19 saves on 21 shots.

Knoblauch wouldn't confirm whether Pickard would start Game 5, but the bench boss noted "his body of work from (Game 4) allows us to have a lot of confidence in him if we did."

Pickard posted a .909 save percentage in 23 games this season. It's the most NHL contests he's played in a campaign since 2017, which he spent with the Colorado Avalanche.

"Obviously, drafted in Colorado, played there for a couple years, you think you're gonna be on the same team your whole career," Pickard told reporters. "Then, 10 teams later, you're here. It's been a great journey, there's been a lot of learning experiences for me. I don't regret any of it. I'm grateful for this opportunity and just ride it out."

Star forward Leon Draisaitl lauded Pickard on and off the ice.

"Unbelievable. What an awesome guy, what an awesome story," he told reporters. "All year, he's given us a chance to win, and every time he's in there, it seems like he's standing on his head. Super proud of him, not an easy thing to do."

Pickard and the Oilers evened the series 2-2 with the victory and travel to Vancouver for Game 5 on Thursday.

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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov spoke candidly on Tuesday about the Game 3 melee that resulted in Carson Soucy being suspended for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.

"He's a big part of our team," Zadorov told reporters. "Obviously it's a big loss for us. ... At the end of the day, (the NHL has) to protect their investment. So that's my understanding of the situation."

Soucy is unavailable for Tuesday's Game 4 clash as he serves a one-game suspension. Zadorov was handed a $5,000 fine for his actions in the fracas.

Zadorov acknowledged a cut near his left eye from the end-of-game scrum as a result of a Zach Hyman cross-check. No Oilers players received supplemental discipline.

When Zadorov was asked why the league didn't protect him in the same way as McDavid, he answered, half-jokingly: "Well, I guess I don't make that much money for the league."

He added: "It's just an unlucky play. I got caught there, too. I mean, whatever. Move on. Game 4 today. Let it be."

The Canucks have a 2-1 series lead over the Oilers entering Game 4 in Edmonton.

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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov spoke candidly on Tuesday about the Game 3 melee that resulted in Carson Soucy being suspended for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid.

"He's a big part of our team," Zadorov told reporters. "Obviously it's a big loss for us. ... At the end of the day, (the NHL has) to protect their investment. So that's my understanding of the situation."

Soucy is unavailable for Tuesday's Game 4 clash as he serves a one-game suspension. Zadorov was handed a $5,000 fine for his actions in the fracas.

Zadorov acknowledged a cut near his left eye from the end-of-game scrum as a result of a Zach Hyman cross-check. No Oilers players received supplemental discipline.

When Zadorov was asked why the league didn't protect him in the same way as McDavid, he answered, half-jokingly: "Well, I guess I don't make that much money for the league."

He added: "It's just an unlucky play. I got caught there, too. I mean, whatever. Move on. Game 4 today. Let it be."

The Canucks have a 2-1 series lead over the Oilers entering Game 4 in Edmonton.

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Austria nearly pulled off an all-time comeback against Canada at the men's IIHF World Championship on Tuesday.

Trailing 6-1 entering the third period, Austria scored five unanswered goals on nine shots to force overtime.

Minnesota Wild forward Marco Rossi, the only active NHLer from Austria, netted the tying goal with 49 seconds left in regulation after a turnover from Montreal Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward John Tavares ended overtime quickly, tallying the winning goal 15 seconds into the extra frame to avoid an embarrassing loss.

Every player on Canada's roster played in the NHL this season.

St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington was in net for all six goals against. He made 15 saves.

Austrian netminder David Madlener stopped 42 shots and allowed all seven Canadian goals.

Canada narrowly remains undefeated against Austria all-time at the world championships with the victory. Canada had outscored Austria 68-7 across 11 meetings entering Tuesday's contest.

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