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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 morning skate and the Sabres held an optional skate at the Air Canada Centre ahead of their game Tuesday night. 

- A new chapter in the Leafs-Sabres rivalry will open Tuesday night as Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel faceoff in the NHL for the first time. "He's been someone I've been able to lean on especially during my draft year," Matthews said. "He's definitely been a nice sounding board for myself as I go through different situations." The pair became buddies through USA Hockey and most recently shared a dressing room with Team North America at the World Cup. "I know him pretty well," said Eichel. "Ann Arbor, World Cup, world juniors, so I've spent a lot of time with him and he's a good dude." After missing the start of the season with a high-ankle sprain, Eichel has posted 17 points in 22 games. "His stride, his skating ability and his strength," Matthews said when asked what stands out about the 20-year-old. "He's so hard to knock off the puck and he's got that deceptive streak. It's incredible, he takes one stride and he's already past you so that's something you have to watch out for, because you can think you're with him and then he takes one step and he's already three steps by you." Does Matthews expect to be compared with Eichel for many years to come? "I don't know," he said. "I don't really focus on that kind of stuff. I just play hockey."

- Despite being early in their NHL careers, both Matthews and Eichel have already had a taste of what the cross-border rivalry is all about. Last year, Nazem Kadri observed that Eichel was struggling a bit in his own end and that unsolicited advice didn't go over well. "Usually the atmosphere is [good] and obviously the fans get really into it and the teams don't really like each other," Eichel said. Despite being an American rising star, Matthews was booed on draft day in Buffalo. "It first jumped out at me at the draft, obviously a lot of boos," Matthews said when asked about the rivalry. "Usually these types of games are fast, physical, exciting games to watch."

- The real rivalry between the teams lately has played out on the management level with both franchises looking to rebuild. A Buffalo-based reporter asked Mike Babcock if he was surprised that Toronto is now ahead in the process even though the Sabres started earlier. "Well, I never said that. You just said that, right? So, sometimes when you ask those questions the next thing that comes out in the media, it's like I said that. So, just so you know, I did not say that," Babcock said to laughs from the media. But the hype around the team is so loud right now that it apparently traveled down the highway. "You can hear the excitement across the border with where they're at," Buffalo coach Dan Bylsma said with a smile. Although Bylsma insists he isn't surprised by where things stand. "I think if you look at where our division is at with a group of [teams] muddled between 48 points and where we're at [43], that's what I expected pretty much from every one of us."

- The Sabres lost their only previous meeting with the Leafs this season, but Buffalo outshot Toronto 43-29. "In exhibition [games] they gave us a ton to handle with how aggressive they were and in the game we played them [in the regular season] we saw that we were able to break some of that aggressiveness with how they play defensively and had some opportunities in the offensive zone by having our D available and having our D move to the middle of the ice," Bylsma explained. 

- Frederik Andersen was the first star in Toronto's 2-1 win on Nov. 3. "We know they like to throw everything at the net and we're preparing for that," said Andersen, who is 5-0-0 with a .962 save percentage in his career against the Sabres. "We'll look to minimize their second-chance opportunities and that's the key for us defensively." But not all Sabres shots may be coming from in front of the net. Tyler Ennis returned to the Buffalo lineup yesterday after a 30-game absence (groin) and nearly scored on a lacrosse move from behind the net. "I don't know if he can do that every night, but I guess you have to be aware of that too now," Andersen noted. Robin Lehner, who stopped 31 of 32 shots yesterday afternoon against Dallas, will start for the Sabres.  

- The Leafs’ power play has converted on 14 of 34 chances over the last 10 games to rise to second overall in the NHL (23.8 per cent). Other than adding some highly skilled young talent this season, is there any other reason why the units have experienced more success? "No," Babcock stated flatly. Last season, the Leafs power play ranked 29th in the NHL (15.4 per cent). The secret to the success is pretty simple, according to Matthews. "We're just shooting the puck and creating odd-man situations down low," the 19-year-old explained. Buffalo's penalty kill is ranked 29th in the NHL this season (74.4 per cent).

 

Lines at Leafs morning skate: 

 

Forwards

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

 

Defence

Rielly-Zaitsev
Gardiner-Carrick
Hunwick-Polak
Marincin-Corrado 

 

Goalies

Andersen 
McElhinney