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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO – For the first time all season, Maple Leafs defenceman Frank Corrado didn’t have to do the dreaded bag skate on a game day at home. Thursday morning he came off with the other Toronto regulars in preparation for his second NHL contest of the season.

After being scratched for 35 of the team’s first 42 games - he missed the other six while on a two-week American Hockey League conditioning stint he returned from Monday - Corrado’s chance to step in for the injured Morgan Rielly couldn’t have come at a better time.

“[Corrado]’s just played a whole bunch of games, he should be feeling as good about himself as he possibly can,” said head coach Mike Babcock. “He’s not rusty. Get in there and play.”

That’s precisely what Corrado’s excited to do again, especially at home. A native of nearby Woodbridge, Ont., Corrado’s friends and family haven’t seen him play at Air Canada Centre all season. His lone NHL game was Nov. 12 in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. 

He’ll be one-half of the Maple Leafs’ third pair against the New York Rangers Thursday night, likely playing on his off-side (left) next to Connor Carrick.

“It’s obviously a little tougher in the NHL, but I played it a lot in junior and even in the AHL,” Corrado said of shifting sides. “You just have to use the tendencies that you learn along the way, but it’s not too bad.”

Six days ago, the Maple Leafs beat the Rangers 4-2 in New York despite taking six minor penalties. Their No. 1-ranked road penalty kill was perfect, and Toronto scored on two of their four power plays.

Jake Gardiner took half of the Maple Leafs minor penalties that game. He’ll be expected to play with more discipline as he moves to the team’s top defensive pair with Nikita Zaitsev.

“I wouldn’t change much, just be aware of the top guys more now,” Gardiner said. “When our team is winning it’s pretty easy to feel good about yourself and feel good about your team. As a group we’re pretty confident and you can see that.”

Rielly won’t be easy to replace, especially the two minutes and 32 seconds he averages per game on a penalty kill that already struggles at home, ranking 25th in the league there (77.6 per cent). Matt Hunwick and Roman Polak carry the load on that unit most nights, but Babcock will now use them as his second pairing, increasing their defensive responsibilities in the process.

Toronto’s forwards are cognizant they’ll have to be on top of their own game to keep pressure off the backend.

“We definitely can’t be getting lost in their zone because they’re a very good transition team. We want to keep them off our D as much as we can,” said Auston Matthews. “That left side, with [Rick] Nash, [Chris] Kreider, they’re very fast. We have to make sure we’re above them in the neutral zone so they can’t come at our D with speed.”

How long Rielly will be out is still unknown. After recovering from a 2-0 second-period deficit against the Buffalo Sabres to win on Tuesday after Rielly went down, Toronto’s confidence remains high.

“We keep building every game. Now the experience of every game gets more valuable for younger guys too, they get more excited,” said goalie Frederik Andersen. “You see now when we have a lead, while you’d love to score the next goal, that’s not the only mentality - it’s also to live to fight another day and that’s something you have to learn too.”

As for Corrado, he went public in December with his frustration about Babcock and his lack of playing time, saying he thought the coach didn’t like him. Babcock remains steadfast that was never the case, and is encouraging Corrado to go out and play his game.

“You don’t want to go home [wondering] if you’re in the lineup, you want to know you’re in the lineup,” Babcock said. “How can this situation get any worse for you, in [Corrado]’s mind? You’re not playing anyway. Why wouldn’t you go play? Let it hang out, put your foot on the gas and worry about fixing it at practice tomorrow.”

Morning skate notes

- Injured centre Ben Smith, who has been skating with Toronto’s trainers in recent weeks, will get the pins out of his hand and take the next step in his recovery today.

- Babcock touched on former Maple Leafs’ winger Michael Grabner, who left the team as a free agent for the Rangers. Grabner had nine goals and nine assists with Toronto as season ago. “He got so many chances, he was snake bitten,” Babcock said. “Grabner was a guy we really liked here. He did a real good job for us. We would have liked to have kept him. But we felt with the wingers we had coming, one of these kids wouldn’t have got any ice time. [Assistant coach] DJ Smith who’s running the penalty kill was begging to keep him. He’s a good man, you’re cheering for him.”

- As Toronto wades into the second half of the season, Babcock said it’s important to continue preparing for each game like it’s “the hardest game of the year,” especially when you’ve been as successful as the Maple Leafs have been lately. “If you’re a good team, then those games are harder because those teams are preparing for a good team. When you’re bad, the other team doesn’t prepare for you at all. Obviously the league is tight top to bottom and a team that feels good about themselves today, five games from now might not be feeling that good about themselves.”