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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Maple Leafs practised at the MasterCard Centre on Friday. 

* For the second straight day, the topic of the Maple Leafs’ 14-game skid against the Canadiens was front and centre at the Leafs media session. 

“You guys are making a way bigger deal out of this than me,” head coach Mike Babcock said. “I know we’re playing the Habs tonight. They need two (points) and we need two. That’s it for me. I’m serious. It’s something for you to talk about and you guys need to be busy so I like it.” 

The Leafs have lost eight straight at the Bell Centre dating back to Oct. 1, 2013. ​But Toronto has never appeared more poised to end the drought. 

“They got the better of us last year,” said left winger Zach Hyman. “It’s a new year … It’s going to be different this year.” The Toronto native lives for nights like these. "It’s awesome. I mean, growing up you watch Toronto-Montreal games and being in them is even more fun. I just want to go out there and win, in Montreal especially."

The Canadiens have stumbled out of the gate, winning just once in four games, although Babcock points to Montreal's league-worst shooting percentage (2.58%) as the main reason for the slow start. 

“The biggest thing I’m seeing is just their shooting percentage is low so normally that turns,” he said. “The bottom line is, we’re early to get into a big panic mode here about anything or to think you’re too good or too bad. Usually you’re some place in between. Steady on the rudder.”

Asked about the challenge against Montreal, Auston Matthews is quick to bring up Carey Price, who used the knob of his stick to stop the Leafs centre on a breakaway in overtime in the last game between the two teams on Feb. 25 in Toronto.  

“We want to play simple,” Matthews said. “We want to be skating and working hard and doing our best to take away the goalie’s eyes. We’re not going to score on first-chance opportunities. It’s going to be second, third chances off of rebounds."

Price has won his last 11 starts against the Leafs posting a .944 save percentage in those games. 

* Saturday’s game will represent the first NHL regular-season showdown between childhood friends Mitch Marner and Victor Mete, who played a couple seasons together with the London Knights in the OHL. 

“He’s pretty jokey,” Marner said when asked if he has a favourite story or moment with Mete. “He jokes around a lot. Fun to be around. Probably the moment that stands out is winning the Memorial Cup with him (in 2016) ... He’s got a great amount of skill, great amount of potential and it’s going to be fun to play against him tonight.”

Is Mete, a native of Woodbridge, Ont., a practice jokester or more into observational humour?  

“It’s kind of hard to put into words what he’s like,” Marner said. “People who played with him and know him know exactly what I’m talking about, but it’s kind of hard to put into words what kind of guy he’s like."

Marner texted Mete to offer him well wishes after he made the Habs opening night roster. He was not surprised to hear that Mete's family is having trouble shelving their Leafs fandom and embracing the Canadiens. 

“As long as I’ve known them, they’ve been Toronto fans so it’s pretty funny seeing them in a different jersey,” Marner said.

* Hyman often earns rave reviews from Babcock for his ability to get the puck to linemates Matthews and William Nylander. The 25-year-old’s strength is a huge asset when it comes to winning puck battles. During training camp, the Leafs had an internal competition to determine who is the team’s “Iron Man”. Results across a number of categories (push-ups, pull-ups, etc.) were added up before a winner was declared.

Hyman (6-foot-1, 213 pounds) edged out Connor Carrick (5-foot-10, 192 pounds) for the title and was actually given a championship belt to commemorate the achievement.

“He was pretty rattled that I snuck it out,” Hyman said with a grin when asked about Carrick's challenge. “We didn’t really know about it until the end, about the belt or anything, so it was a cool surprise.”

Hyman said the horizontal row was his best event. “I think I did 47 of them.”

* Alexander Ovechkin has scored nine goals in Washington's first five games of the season. He's just the fourth player in the expansion era (since 1967-68) to start that hot. The last person to do it? Patrick Marleau, who scored nine times in his first five games in the 2013 lockout-shortened season. What does Marleau remember about that incredible hot streak? 

“It was crazy. I think it was all that time off and being really excited to get back and playing (smiles). It was a lot of fun. When things are going good like that you want to stay hot and keep playing.”

Was there a common link between all those goals?  

“Kind of being in the right spot at the right time a lot of times. Obviously, playing with good players and getting some wide open nets helps out a lot.”

Marleau is 38-years-old and will be playing the 1,498th game of his NHL regular season career on Saturday. But this will be the first time he experiences the Leafs-Habs rivalry on a Saturday night in Montreal. 

“It’s going to be different,” he said. “It’s something I watched growing up. It’s always a big deal when these two teams meet so pretty exciting.”

* Despite scoring two goals in two games this season, Dominic Moore will be a healthy scratch as Toronto’s fourth-line centre rotation continues. Eric Fehr draws back in. 

“We’re in a process there,” Babcock explained. “I’m not sure when that’s coming to an end, but we’re still in it.”

After missing two games with an upper-body injury, Carrick will return to the lineup on Saturday taking the spot of Calle Rosen. ​

Lines at Leafs’ morning skate

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander 
Marleau-Matthews-Komarov 
van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner 
Martin-Fehr-Brown 
Leivo, Moore

Rielly-Hainsey 
Gardiner-Zaitsev 
Borgman-Carrick 
Rosen 

Andersen 
McElhinney 

* Power play units at Leafs morning skate: 

Rielly
Marner-Kadri-Bozak
JvR

Gardiner
Matthews-Marleau-Nylander 
Brown