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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Maple Leafs held a team meeting at the Air Canada Centre Tuesday morning ahead of tonight's game against the Islanders.

- In a rare move, Mike Babcock cancelled Toronto's morning skate. "I liked our practice yesterday," the coach explained. "I thought we worked hard. I thought we were ready." What does Babcock think about morning skates in general? "Well, it all depends on your team. You got to monitor your team. We thought we were doing a real good job of being ready every night and obviously [we] haven't been quite as good of late. Even in some of the games that we scored in first we weren't as good. Just trying to handle our situation. We have a back-to-back against two teams that are heavy teams and we just thought it was the best thing for us." The Leafs have lost six of eight games with slow starts becoming a troubling trend. Toronto hosts the Islanders on Tuesday night before travelling to Columbus to face the Blue Jackets on Wednesday.

- John Tavares insists the uncertainty surrounding where the Islanders will play beyond the 2018-19 season has not changed the way he feels about his future with the Islanders. "Honestly, I haven't put that much thought into it. I think we all want to know where we're playing and what the situation is, but a lot of that stuff is rumours and reports and the organization has been great not just with me, but with all the players and their families about what's going on." Reports suggest the Barclays Center will look to terminate its lease with the NHL club after the 2018-19 season. The development comes at a sensitive time for the organization, which is hoping to lock up its franchise player to a long-term contract in the summer.

On Tuesday, Tavares was asked a series of questions about the possibility of becoming an unrestricted free agent following the 2017-18 season. "I want to be on the Island," the 26-year-old said. "That's where I hope everything works out. I think we all know a lot more goes into it than just saying you want to be there. Obviously, there are negotiations that happen and a process about it so, for me, it's just going through all that." Matt Martin was teammates with Tavares from 2009 to 2016 before signing with the Maple Leafs last summer. "He's just a loyal guy in general," Martin said. "Obviously, I've gotten the questions all year about what's going to happen and I don't know. But I do know he's a loyal guy. I know he wants to win on Long Island." The Islanders have won just one playoff series since drafting Tavares first overall in 2009, but the Mississauga, Ont., native remains committed to the franchise. "It's just a passionate fan base," Tavares explained. "It's amazing how proud people are to have their Islanders and what they mean to the people in the community and, you know, it's just been a lot of fun. I obviously grew up there, experienced all my firsts and been through a lot there so obviously I have a deep connection with playing on Long Island."

Tuesday marks the only trip to the Air Canada Centre for Tavares and the Islanders during the regular season. The Leafs and Isles have faced off twice already this season in Brooklyn, including a 6-5 overtime thriller last week. The games have given Tavares the opportunity to see what Toronto's rookies can do. "It's impressive, there's no doubt," he said. "What [Auston] Matthews and [Mitch] Marner have been able to do not just producing, but the way they play the whole game. They're always just doing good things without the puck. You can see Matthews just really controls the centre of the ice and a lot of things go through him. He's got a great hockey sense and awareness about him, tremendous release. Obviously, Marner has a tremendous skillset with how good he is on his edges, creating plays all over the ice so they've been impressive." Like Tavares, Marner played for the London Knights and grew up in the Toronto area. "It was a thrill to watch him in the world juniors," Marner recalled. "Obviously, I knew about his stats in London and how good he was in London. I watched him growing up a little bit in the Toronto-area so it's pretty cool, now, lining up against him." Does Marner notice anything different playing against him? "On the ice you get to really watch what guys do and see how strong they are with the puck and see what they can really do with it," Marner said. "On the TV watching it, you don't really get the full justice of how good some guys really are."

- The Leafs and Islanders are separated by just one point in the standings giving this February game a bit of a playoff feel. The stretch drive will be a different experience for Marner, who played for dominant Knights teams in the OHL and Matthews, who played for a first-place team in the Swiss league last year. Neither teenager can recall ever being part of a playoff race like this. "Not in a long time," Marner said. "Minor hockey, but that's a little different. I've never really felt like this so it feels good, it's fun, everyone's ready to go. We all know what it comes down to." While most Leafs players admit to checking the standings on a daily basis, Marner is taking a different approach. "I haven't looked at it once, to be honest," Toronto's leading scorer said. "I know every game we just got to go in there just thinking we need the win. It doesn't matter what standings position you're in. If you're in the playoffs or not, I think every game you go into you want to win. I think focusing on other things that don't really matter to your team, then you can get off track a little bit. Just got to focus on your team and what's going on in this dressing room."

Projected Leafs lineup for tonight's game:

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

Rielly-Zaitsev
Gardiner-Carrick
Hunwick-Polak

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