BOSTON — Immediately after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins — TorontoThird straight loss – things were starting to look different for the Maple Leafs.

They adopted a much more optimistic tone than after their two previous defeats. More avant-garde, less concerned with taking ownership of their game as they did after being hampered by the Columbus Blue Jackets and the St. Louis Blues earlier in the week.

“It’s close,” head coach Craig Berube said when asked where the team is right now compared to where he wants it to be. “I thought we started checking better again tonight, we were tough around our net, tough in the battles. Offensively, we can do more. We have a lot of time in the offensive zone in these games and we need to get better at creating a little more with that time.

And this is a justified attitude, to a certain extent. There were a lot more signs of encouragement in the Leafs’ play against the Bruins compared to their previous two sluggish efforts.

But zoom out and the Leafs still find themselves at 4-4-1 after nine games. Sound familiar? That’s the same record they held after nine games in 2021-22 and 2022-23. They also had just one more win under their belt after nine games last season.

As the Bruins’ familiar victory song, The Standells’ “Dirty Water,” blared through TD Garden while the Leafs prepared their gear after the game, it certainly felt like the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.

Even with a new coach in tow, much of what has plagued this core in the past has resurfaced through this mini-crisis.

There was a slow start: the Bruins heavily outplayed the Leafs throughout the first period, with the visitors presenting no high-danger chances at five-on-five for 20 minutes. Only a late surge led by their core led to a tying goal with just over a minute left in overtime. And it was this core that drove the team’s production. Seven combined points Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, Morgane Rielly And John Tavares That’s good, but it’s another reminder that this team doesn’t have the secondary scoring needed. The way this team is built, if the Leafs core isn’t producing, they’re in trouble.

Oh, and if you haven’t heard, the Leafs power play always lack of synchronicity and above all punch. They went 0-for-3 with the man advantage against the Bruins. That included a five-on-three, although the Leafs didn’t have much to show for it. The Leafs’ power play has slumped to a 10 percent conversion rate over the course of the season.

Slow starts, misfires on the power play, defensive miscues and a lack of secondary scoring are not new issues for this team.

But these are still issues that Berube will likely witness up close and in color for the first time since his tenure with the Leafs.

After a start to the season which had the feel from another Leafs team, Bérubé’s honeymoon period certainly appears to be over. He was brought in to give the Leafs a different identity. Bérubé’s ability to right lingering wrongs and develop coherence within this group will determine whether they can truly hold on to the identity he desires.

“It takes time,” Matthews said of learning Bérubé’s new approach. “Sometimes it doesn’t click perfectly right away. I think you just want to take positive steps in the right direction.

Although there were definite signs of life against the Bruins, will Bérubé be able to place his big guns in the best spots so they can produce more consistently?

The Leafs stars deserve credit for their late-game surge against the Bruins. Marner was at his best with three assists, including his best of the season to set up Rielly’s goal.

This magic was really nice pic.twitter.com/oiPcmYf7PY

– Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 27, 2024

But often throughout this losing streak Matthew Kniesthe second-year pro, appears to be the team’s best striker – or at least the most notable.

“We need to make more shots from the top, that’s one thing,” Berube said. “And look to shoot a little faster. I think there were times in the third period where all of our forwards were stuck at the net and we couldn’t get (the puck) through. We need to stand out and create a little more separation in the offensive zone.

Then there’s the slow start. Will Bérubé be able to get his team to meet his increased physical demands for long periods of the season?

From top to bottom of the lineup, the Leafs have looked like the most tired group in each of their last three games. Second to loose pucks. One step too far to try to stop the opposition through the neutral zone.

Bérubé asked more of this team through a physically demanding training camp. Is this catching up to them as their schedules start to get tighter?

And being a little slow hurt the Leafs in their defensive zone play, particularly in the second period.

After a turnover in their own zone, Anthony Stolarz made a crucial save on the Bruins forward Frederic Trent. But while the Leafs pressed Frederic, the Bruins advanced Justin Brazeau easily brought home a rebound.

Bruins forward Marc Kastelic was then left wide open in front of the Leafs goal and didn’t need long to give the Bruins their second goal in less than a minute.

In overtime, Matthews expected a teammate to be nearby, but he turned the puck over just before Brad Marchandthe winning goal of.

“It was a tough game against Auston,” Berube said. “We need to support him a little better on this play. We left him alone there. It was a mistake on everyone’s part.

Will Bérubé be able to get this team to tighten up its defense game after game?

“Obviously, there will always be small errors that you would like to correct. I think the power play is always looking to improve,” Rielly said.

Finally, that power play.

Again, to the Leafs’ credit, there appears to be an understanding of What afflicts them with the advantage of man.

“Just execution,” Rielly said of their struggles getting into the offensive zone cleanly with the man advantage. “In the grand scheme of things, when you look at the game and it might not go the way you want it to, it all comes down to execution and then it goes from there.”

Putting this into practice is another story. For Bérubé and his coaching staff, getting this team out of its power play funk could be the spark they need to get back into the win column early in the season.

The Leafs coach has now experienced the ups and downs of this team until October. The honeymoon of a new coach is in the rearview mirror.

Permanently changing this team now appears to be a much bigger task than anticipated earlier in the month.

(Photo of the Maple Leafs starting to leave the ice as the Bruins celebrate: Winslow Townson / Imagn Images)