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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TSN Maple Leafs reporter Kristen Shilton checks in with news and notes from practices and game-day skates. The Maple Leafs held a morning skate at BB&T Centre in Sunrise, Fla., ahead of their game against the Panthers at 7 p.m.

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For the third time already this season, the Maple Leafs are set to face the Florida Panthers. Toronto won both previous games at home — a tight contest versus Roberto Luongo in net and a blowout against former Leaf James Reimer. They’ll likely see Luongo between the pipes Wednesday night, opposite Frederik Andersen at the other end, but plenty has changed for the Panthers since the first two meetings. Players like Nick Bjugstad were out with injuries early in the season and the organization has undergone a coaching change and systematic shift. Toronto has also improved, working their way into a plus-two in goal differential. “Andersen has settled in and played better. Penalty kill has been good. We’ve learned to play without the puck a little bit better and take care of it a little bit more,” Mike Babcock said of his team. “We have work to do here. When you’re telling me we’re 10th in the standings overall, I’ll be more than impressed.” That’s a possibility for Toronto if they can beat both the Panthers on Wednesday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. This post-Christmas break stretch is crucial for them to keep any playoff hopes alive. “It takes a little time to gel as a group and get used to the systems and start playing well as a team defensively,” centre Tyler Bozak said. “Everyone has to do the right thing and work together so I think we’ve been doing a better job of that, we’ve been scoring in 5-on-5 as well. I think Freddie [Andersen] has been a huge part of that, stopping a ton of pucks and making the huge saves when we need them.”

 

- The Maple Leafs activated Bozak off injured reserve on Wednesday morning after he missed their last three games and he was a full participant in practice on Tuesday. Despite time lost to a lower-body injury, the veteran has slotted back onto the team’s second line between James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner. “He’s a real good player for us, real good faceoff guy, real good hockey sense,” Babcock said of Bozak. “We look to him for a lot. He’s really upped his compete level this year, is better defensively, so we need him to take another step for us in the second half.” Seeing his linemates play on either side of Nazem Kadri and not miss a beat in his absence made Bozak all the more eager to return to the lineup. “I think it’s great we have a lot of depth, it’s fun to watch,” he said. "Obviously they were playing really well. I saw a lot of confidence and putting a lot of pucks in the back of the net.” For Marner, having Bozak back in the mix may not change how he approaches his own game, but he appreciates having him around. “[Kadri and Bozak] both have a lot of the same skills I would say,” Marner said. “It’s nice having Bozie back though, been playing with him most of the year and know what he’s all about so he’s going to bring a lot back to our lineup.”

 

- While losing Bozak and Ben Smith at the same time did put the Maple Leafs’ centre depth on display, it has ultimately proven to be a positive for Babcock in assessing where the organization is as a whole, particularly when it comes to rookie call-up Frederik Gauthier. “As you go on and injuries force your hand a little bit you have to learn more about your guys,” he said. “Gauthier’s line the other night with Leo [Komarov] and [William] Nylander got three goals, so that wouldn’t be something you’d expect. I thought The Goat played well for us.” With as many talented players as Toronto has amassed over the years, having a deep pool to draw from when guys are hurt is vital for encouraging everyone on the roster to be at their best. “You want internal competition - and that’s not a shot at anyone - you just want internal competition as much as you can have so guys know they have to play and play well to keep their jobs,” Babcock said.

 

- Returning to the BB&T Centre is extra special for Marner, who was drafted there in 2015. As one of the year’s top draftees, he spent a week in South Florida enjoying many local activities, including a visit to the Everglades. While hearing his name called at the end of the week was certainly the highlight of his visit, Marner had a couple other memorable encounters along the way. “The Everglades was pretty crazy,” he said. “Some guy jumped in the water and starting swimming around in there so that was pretty crazy. We were all really confused and a couple people were pretty worried for him, but I guess he’d lived there his whole life and kind of knew how to react if a gator comes at him. Just a lot of memories for sure.”