Columnist image

SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

| Archive

TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Leafs practised in Toronto on Monday.

--

- The streaking Maple Leafs practised in Toronto for the first time since the bye week, leading to a larger than usual media turnout. There were a lot of positive questions about the 8-1-1 run, but not a lot of positive answers from head coach Mike Babcock. "Well, you know, let's not get carried away here," the veteran bench boss said. "I mean, Ottawa out-chanced us. We got a lot of work to do here." Babcock noted that the Philadelphia Flyers won 10 in a row earlier in the season, but have now fallen back in the pack. "My mom used to put a note on the fridge that said, 'Let your ups be longer than your downs,' and there's nothing more true in the National Hockey League than that." Babcock is warning his young team to not get caught up in the hype. "When things are going good, you better work even harder, because in life [things] have a tendency to turn so you want to just keep grinding." Whatever he was asked about on Monday, Babcock's cautionary tone remained the same. On Nikita Zaitsev meshing well with Morgan Rielly, the coach noted that the top pairing hasn't been as good of late. Regarding the team's style of play at the Air Canada Centre, Babcock said the Leafs need to simplify their game at home. As for the feeling of excitement in the city? "Now, you want to be excited. I'm pumped about that, you want to expect to have success, but you're also steady on the rudder here. Let's keep working. It's Game 41." Even after the media session had wrapped up, Babcock continued to lecture the assembled reporters. "I don't know if anyone got this, but the message is let's all [calm down]." As he walked out of the dressing room Babcock turned around, smiled and said, "Just chill."

- The fans are getting excited. Can the players sense it? "Yeah, it's fun to be a Leafs player again too," said Nazem Kadri, who along with Tyler Bozak is the longest-tenured player in Toronto. "The dog days of Leafs Nation were definitely tough with losses and not knowing how to handle certain situations and everything around the team, a lot of distractions. This year, we've taken a different approach. We've just believed in ourselves and have fun as a group. We take things seriously, but we like to have fun as well and that chemistry has taken us over the top." 

- What has been the biggest improvement in the team from opening night to the midpoint of the season? A sample of some of the answers given Monday: 

Babcock: "I guess our biggest improvement is understanding and expectation. We know where we're supposed to stand and we expect to have success." 

James van Riemsdyk: "Just playing consistently through the ebbs and flows of the games. Our highs were pretty high, but our lows were also pretty low earlier in the year, but now we're starting to maintain that high level of play and not have those situations where you shoot yourselves in the foot, especially when we have a lead." 

Auston Matthews: "I think just defensively. For the most part, we're a young group and the toughest part when you come into the league is playing away from the puck so I think that's the biggest thing. And just competing for a full 60 minutes. We were definitely not playing for a full 60 earlier in the year and it definitely cost us points with blown leads and stuff like that."

Bozak: "It's hard to say. I think we're not turning the puck over as much. I think we're playing a better team game. Obviously, special teams have been huge for us. You see how our road record has improved and how we've done on special teams in that span. That speaks for itself." 

Kadri: "I think just maturity, really, in games with leads. A lot of times we had leads early on and we blew them and that came back to haunt us in the standings. We've done a good job reclaiming those points and just being patient. We get leads and we're not uptight, we're not nervous."

- Kadri is on pace for a career high in goals and points. "One of the things that's really helped him is being the man in the middle on the power play so he gets a lot of action in tight," Babcock explained. "He's got courage in those spaces and he's finding ways to score so that gives you his numbers." Twelve of Kadri's 28 points have come on the power play. He had 14 points on the man advantage all of last season. Babcock believes the addition of William Nylander to Kadri's line "gives them an extra offensive bump" at even strength. "I still think Naz is early in his journey as a player. He did a lot of work this summer. He's got to do a ton again next summer and he's got to keep getting more fit. The more work you do, the more you prepare professionally, the more benefits you have and all you have to do is look at football and look at Tom Brady and see that."

- Ben Smith, out since Dec. 17 with an upper-body injury, skated before practice on Monday. When will he be back in the lineup? "I asked the same thing to Smitty today, I asked him if he's ever coming back," Babcock said. "Obviously, we could really use him. He's a diligent pro and does things right. He's skating and I think he gets his pins out on the 19th and we go from there." 

--

* Lines at Leafs practice: 

Hyman-Matthews-Brown
van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner
Komarov-Kadri-Nylander
Martin-Gauthier-Soshnikov
Leivo

Rielly-Zaitsev
Gardiner-Carrick
Hunwick-Polak
Marincin-Corrado 

Andersen 
McElhinney