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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 Leafs held an optional skate at Amalie Arena on Tuesday morning. The Lightning held a regular skate.

Frederik Andersen is good to go.

Toronto's No. 1 goalie sat out the last two games with an upper-body injury, but practised yesterday and skated again this morning before declaring himself fit for action. Considering the time off in the last week, will it be tough to get in a rhythm early against the NHL's highest-scoring team?  

“We’ll see, but the best way to do it is to play games so happy to be back and ready to play,” he said. 

The Maple Leafs appear to be locked in as the No. 3 seed in the Atlantic Division, but Andersen doesn't want any additional rest down the stretch. In fact, he believes these final 10 games are more important than they may seem. 

“We want to keep working on our details,” Andersen said. “We can’t just turn it on when we get to the playoffs. It’s important to come in with good momentum and good confidence.”
 

 
The Leafs are 1-1-1 against the Lightning this season losing 4-3 in a shootout in their most recent meeting on Feb. 26 in Tampa. 

While the Leafs have little to play for in the standings, the Lightning are in a battle with the Bruins for first in the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay has a three-point edge, but Boston has played one fewer game and there are still two more head-to-head showdowns between the clubs. The Bruins just beat the Bolts 3-0 on Saturday at Amalie Arena. 

“Our defensive play … in this room, we know we have to be better,” captain Steven Stamkos said. “We have to hold each other accountable in those areas. We know we can score, but if we can defend as well, that’s the recipe come playoff time.”

How valuable is finishing first in the division? 

“It's huge,” said defenceman Victor Hedman. “We had a little bit of a letdown against Boston, but we're still in the driver's seat.”
 

 

The challenge against the Lightning top line is a big one. Stamkos is an elite goal scorer, but this season he has also been an elite playmaker with 57 assists. That's tied for fifth in the NHL (with linemate Nikita Kucherov) and already 11 more than his previous career high set in the 2010-11 season. 

“Playing with a guy like Kuch, obviously you want to get him the puck in the scoring areas," Stamkos explained. “He was so hot at the beginning of the year you just deferred the puck to him because it was probably going in the net. So, it was a little bit of that. You know, I’d still like to shoot the puck a little more. Any time you get into that frame of mind where you’re making some plays and getting assists you tend to want to do that and we have to keep our opponents honest.”

Stamkos has gone six games without a goal, but has seven assists in that stretch. He's averaging 2.82 shots per game this season, which is down from his career average of 3.16.
 

With Auston Matthews missing a 10th straight game tonight due to a shoulder injury, William Nylander will continue to play as a centre. The 21-year-old struggled in showdowns with Stamkos and Brayden Point in the last game against the Lightning. Toronto was outshot 11-1 when Nylander was on the ice at even strength on Feb. 26.  

Nylander said one lesson he learned from that night was that he must play Stamkos tighter. 

Asked what Nylander will take from that experience coach Mike Babcock made it clear he isn't as concerned about the Swede’s play in the middle as the media. 

“You ask me this every day so it must be a big deal," he said. "I don’t really know. To me, it’s just, each and every night when you’re playing against good players and you’re perceived as a good player someone’s going to outduel the other guy. So, Freddie looks down at their goalie, Willie looks across at the guys he’s playing and you got to outplay him, you got to beat them one-on-one.”
Has Babcock given much thought to whether Nylander could be a long-term answer for the organization at centre? 

“No," he said with a chuckle. "No. Like, I mean, we’re playing here tonight, we got a game. Next year’s going to come. We got lots of time. We got lots of time. We hope we don’t have to think about next year until June.”

Nylander insists he's on the same page. 

“I haven’t really thought about that but, I mean, wherever Mike wants me to play is where I’ll be comfortable playing.”

As for tonight's game, the Lightning aren't about to let their guard down just because Matthews is out. A couple of their top defenceman played with Nylander at the World Championships and know what he's capable of. 

“Just his vision, really," said Anton Stralman when asked about what stands out about Nylander. "He seems to be able to find plays when no one else can and he’s one of those guys you have to keep an extra eye on. And he’s got a good shot too so he's not just a playmaker, but I think his vision is fantastic.”

Nylander was named MVP at the worlds helping Sweden take home the gold medal. 

"Unbelievable speed," said Hedman, "good stick handling and can make plays out of nothing and, obviously, a game changer. He can change the momentum of the game by himself. He’s becoming a more and more complete player in this league and a big reason why Toronto is where they are. We’re going to have our hands full with him tonight.”

 Much has changed for Nylander since his rough go in Tampa in late February. For one, he now has a new winger in 23-year-old countryman Andreas Johnsson. 

"It's lots of fun," Nylander said. "I mean, we played together in the AHL for a little bit so there was chemistry there (already) so it’s fun to see a fellow Swede score his first goal too."

After seeing only limited action in his NHL debut, Johnsson scored on Saturday while firing seven shots on the Montreal net in just his second career game. 

"He had seven shots on goal, three other attempts and he made two unbelievable plays," Babcock observed, "so, you go through the year and how many guys have had seven shots on net? How many guys have made than many plays in one game?"

​Johnsson became just the seventh Leaf to register seven shots or more on goal in a game this season. James van Riemsdyk has done it five times, Mitch Marner twice, Nazem Kadri twice, Patrick Marleau once, Nylander once and Matthews has also done it once.

“I feel like my speed, like, I’m still one of the fastest guys on the ice, but I got to move the puck fast or else you’ll be eaten up," Johnsson said when asked about his early observations of the NHL game. 

After Saturday's contest, Johnsson noted his parents had been staying up late back home in Sweden and he hoped they were able to stay awake for his third-period goal. 

"My mom fell asleep," he admitted with a big grin today.

That grin really hasn't left his face since he was called up to the Maple Leafs. Is that his standby facial expression or simply a byproduct of being in the big leagues? 

"I would say I'm more of a smiler all the time," he said ... with a smile.

Projected Leafs line-up for tonight's game (based on yesterday's practice): 

Marleau-Kadri-Marner 
Johnsson-Nylander-Hyman 
van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Brown 
Leivo-Plekanec-Kapanen 

Rielly-Hainsey 
Gardiner-Polak 
Dermott-Carrick 

Andersen starts 
McElhinney 

Injured: Komarov (lower body), Matthews (shoulder)

Illness: Zaitsev 

Healthy scratch: Martin, Moore 

​All the injured players skated today although Leo Komarov was wearing a red non-contact sweater.