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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs. The Leafs (optional) and Hurricanes skated at Scotiabank Arena ahead of tonight's game.

 The standings say not much has changed in the last year, but the feeling in the Maple Leafs dressing room is they are now better prepared for the challenge presented by their rivals from Boston.

"Obviously, a year older, guys have been through it and some of our young guys are better players, which is a real positive thing for us," said head coach Mike Babcock. "Last year seems like a hundred years ago, to be honest with you."

The Bruins bested Toronto in seven games last spring and appear likely to enter this year's rematch as the higher seed once again. 

"We've grown a lot," said centre Auston Matthews, "added pieces, I think a lot of us have grown individually. You try not to look too far ahead, focus on these last three games and really make sure that you’re preparing every night and bringing your 'A' game every night. But, obviously, it's in the back of your mind."

Last night's 2-1 win on the road against a top defensive team in the Islanders is being viewed as a big step forward for the Leafs. And now the focus is on building momentum in the final games of the regular season.

"This last stretch we've had, we know we've given up way less," said Babcock. "We haven't won, necessarily, every night, but given up way less. I think it's been a good thing for our team to have to dig in.

After allowing 24 goals in a four-game run in mid-March, the Leafs believe they've stabilized things.

"We went through a stretch of games for about a week to 10 days, which were extremely poor," noted defenceman Ron Hainsey, "and now we've come back and fixed some things in our game that have allowed us to play much better for maybe 10 days to two weeks, playing a way that I think we can all agree has a much better chance of success so that's much more positive, but the proof will be in the play coming up here in the next two weeks."

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One key in the turnaround has been more efficient breakouts.

"It's mostly about getting back to pucks first," Hainsey explained, "and then having good communication, working it out as quick as you can. If we can move the puck to our forwards early in shifts when they're fresh they have a much better chance of being able to go the other way and create offence and if you spend 30 seconds in your zone it’s pretty simple. If we do that we’ll have a good chance every night."

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Garret Sparks starts tonight as the Leafs play the second half of a back-to-back set, but it will be Frederik Andersen in net in the last two games (Thursday vs. Tampa Bay and Saturday at Montreal). 

"We just want him to have a rhythm going in," Babcock explained. "I think you're going to see that with a lot of the guys too, they want to play. It appears like we've got four days off in-between [the end of the regular season and start of the playoffs] so it's a significant period of time there. You'll want to be feeling good going in."

Did the fact that Montreal is still in contention play a role in the decision to start Andersen in the regular season finale? 

"It has nothing to do with that, to be honest with you," Babcock said. "We're going to worry about ourselves totally and not about who we're playing. It's just the way it's set up."

The Leafs remain open to resting players, but the ball seems to be in their court. 

"If they need it, we'd provide that, for sure," Babcock said. "With any of my veteran guys, I talk to them and find out what they need to be ready. That's obviously a huge priority. Then, continuing to get ready is another priority. You balance the two."

Babcock says a couple of players will be game-time decisions tonight, but didn't specify who. Left winger Andreas Johnsson missed last night's game due to illness. Defenceman Jake Muzzin was also feeling under the weather, but was able to suit up against the Islanders. 

How is Matthews feeling after taking an Adam Pelech shot off his leg last night? 

"Sore," he said with a laugh. "Just one of those things where you catch it in a weird spot. So it’s a bit sore but nothing serious."

Matthews struggled to get off the ice initially and was in pain on the bench, but did not leave the game. He described the injury as a "stinger."

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With only a one-point lead over Montreal in the race for the final playoff spot, Carolina should be a desperate team tonight. 

"This will be a real good test for us," said Hainsey. "It’s a good way to get yourself playing in a mode you’re going to have to play because this team is going to be bringing everything they got."

"They're a real stingy team," Babcock observed, "they don't give up a whole bunch. There won't be a lot of room in tonight's game. We're going to have to be patient; we're going to have to play hard."

When the calendar turned to 2019, the Hurricanes were nine points out of a playoff spot, but since Jan. 1 only the Tampa Bay Lightning and St. Louis Blues have posted more wins. Although there are signs Carolina may be running out steam after they lost three of four last week. 

"It's definitely taken a toll on our group," said coach Rod Brind'Amour. "That's the down side of having to chase. We got behind halfway through the year, but I give our guys a lot of credit, they got us back in the hunt and now we just got to figure out a way to finish off the last week."

What's this like for the first year bench boss? 

"Kind of brutal, I’ll be honest," he admitted with a chuckle. "The coaching thing is awesome when you have a good group, and I have a great group. You just can't ask for more, so I lucked out. The hard part is the losing. When you lose, like, it just weighs you out and you never really recover. Even if you win, you expect to win so you feel good about winning, but you don’t really feel that good, because you’re supposed to and then when you lose you get kicked down and you just feel like, 'Man, this isn't right. This doesn't feel so good.'"

The Hurricanes have struggled to attract fans and attention in the Raleigh market (average attendance is 14,239, which ranks 28th in the NHL) and part of that has to do with the team's poor record. Carolina hasn't made the playoffs in nine seasons, the longest active drought in the league. 

What would it mean to get back in the dance?

"It’d be huge," said Brind'Amour, who captained Carolina to the 2006 Stanley Cup. "And that’s the other part of it and (we) try and keep that away from the group in there, because there's a lot riding on it. We know that. I don't know how many years, nine years, whatever, without making the playoffs. It'd just be good for the momentum. We’ve created a lot of momentum. I think people believe in our group, our team, but at the same time we have to get in."

Only 11 players on Carolina’s active roster have suited up in a playoff game. 

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Brind'Amour and the Hurricanes players insist they don't do much scoreboard watching during games. 

"That doesn't work so I really try not to," the coach said. "The good news is we can just control our own stuff."

"Not during games," said captain Justin Williams. "Absolutely not. The other teams, it doesn't matter what they do as long as we win."

You can understand the sentiment when you consider that a main reason why the Hurricanes were able to storm back into the race was because they tuned out the rest of the hockey world. 

"We had the standings in our room and you see them every day," Williams revealed, "and where we were standing at that particular juncture in the season wasn't great so we turned them off and said, 'Let's focus on what we can do, let's look back in a month and see what we've done,' and we've slowly climbed the ladder. We've become relevant again and respected and that’s a step, but we have much more to take."

The leadership from the 37-year-old Williams has been crucial. 

"I can't say enough good things," Brind'Amour gushed. "He’s been the leader, not just the way he’s prepared in the locker room, but how he’s played. I think it might be the best year of his career and without him doing what he’s been doing we wouldn’t be sitting here. He’s really brought this group along."

Williams has, indeed, helped spark the turnaround with 15 of his 22 goals this season coming after Jan. 1.  

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Tonight is Carolina's one and only visit to Scotiabank Arena this season and it's always a special trip for Toronto native Dougie Hamilton.

"It's where you grew up watching games, dreaming about being on the ice and idolizing players and stuff so I always take a moment to kind of picture it from the other way, me being a little kid and kind of watching guys and then me being on the ice now. So it’s pretty cool every time you come back here," the defenceman said. 

Hamilton also got a laugh out of the fact that he's featured in a video that plays here after the first period. 

"I'm on the intermission video, hype video so you’ll have to look out for that," he said with a wide grin. "You got to spot it."