Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube did not shy away from giving his take on Ottawa Senators player Artem Zub’s takedown of Maple Leafs forward John Tavares. The incident occurred during Game 4 of the best-of-seven playoff series between the two teams on Saturday, April 27.
The incident occurred during overtime with the score tied 3-3. Tavares took an elbow to the head from Zub just in front of the Senators’ goal.
Craig Berube Didn’t ‘Like the Hit’ on John Tavares
Speaking to the media after Monday morning practice, Berube said: “I don’t like the hit. Puck’s nowhere near him. Looked like a headshot to me.”
Berube on Zub hit on Tavares in OT: "I don't like the hit. Puck is nowhere near him. Looked like a head shot to me." #Leafs
— Terry Koshan 🇺🇦 (@koshtorontosun) April 28, 2025
There was no penalty for Zub on the ice after the hit, and no further action was taken. The Senators also managed to stave off elimination on Saturday, April 26, defeating the Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime to leave the series precariously poised at 3-1.
Tavares, who practiced on Monday, April 28, with the team, also did not take kindly to the incident.
“Pretty obvious what happened on the play. Puck’s nowhere near me. But just move on from it. Go out there and keep competing and trust that the refs are going to make the right calls,” Tavares told reporters.
Ottawa Keeps Playoff Hopes Alive With OT Win Against Maple Leafs
Jake Sanderson scored at 17:42 of overtime in front of a packed crowd of Ottawa fans at Canadian Tire Centre.
“It was awesome,” Sanderson said via NHL.com. “Especially just ending up on the glass there and turning to them all [the fans] so excited. I feel like we’ll enjoy this for a little bit tonight, but shift our focus onto the next game pretty quick here.”
Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark made 31 saves to keep his team in the game and the series.
“I thought Linus really showed what he’s all about tonight. It’s been a lot of talk about him in the series, a lot of doubters, even in this room, and man, he looked like a guy that has won a Vezina and [that you] can win with and the pressure was not a big deal for him and he stood very tall for us,” Senators coach Travis Green said.
The two teams will face off for Game 5 in the series on Tuesday, April 29, in Toronto. The Maple Leafs are 1-12 in playoff elimination games since 2017, having won only one series in the last 21 years.