Columnist image

SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

| Archive

TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. 

For the first time since sustaining a shoulder injury on Feb. 22, Auston Matthews skated in a regular sweater on Saturday. Previously he had been wearing a red non-contact uniform. 

"Just getting closer," he told TSN after Saturday's workout. "I feel like I can take some more contact and stuff as far as in practice. Today, it’s a pre-game skate so not much going on, but hopefully tomorrow, Monday, I'll kind of get in a rhythm and go through the drills with some contact."

Matthews will sit out a ninth straight game when the Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens, but is it possible he plays on Tuesday in Tampa? The 20-year-old won’t rule it out.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Still taking it kind of day-by-day and see how it feels each day at the rink. Today, it felt better than it did the other day and so on and so on. I feel like every day it’s progressed a little bit more so we’ll see."

Coming back from a shoulder issue at the time of year when games are getting more physical seems like it could be tricky and Matthews admits the injury is something that will be a factor even after he returns. 

“I want to come back when I feel like I’m ready and I feel good out there, but I’m sure it’s not going to be 100%. I want to be back at the point where I feel good on the ice, but I’m sure it will still linger on throughout the year and towards the end. But that’s fine. I think everybody’s pretty much playing through something. That’s just the way it goes."

Matthews will have more company on the sidelines on Saturday as Leo Komarov is the latest Leaf to go down with an injury. The gritty winger was helped off the ice on Thursday in Buffalo while not putting any weight on his left leg. Head coach Mike Babcock said Komarov is considered “day-to-day” which usually means he’ll miss at least seven to 10 days. 

Frederik Andersen, who left Wednesday’s game with an upper-body injury and didn't travel to Buffalo for Thursday's game, skated on his own this morning, but will not dress against the Habs. Curtis McElhinney will start once again while Garret Sparks dresses as the back-up. 

Nikita Zaitsev also skated on his own this morning, per Babcock, but the defenceman will miss a fourth straight game as he recovers from an illness. 

—-

The injury issues have forced Babcock to juggle his lineup. On Saturday, rookie Andreas Johnsson will get a chance to play his second NHL game. The Swede only saw the ice for 7:34 in his debut on Wednesday against the Stars as the Leafs shortened their bench while playing from behind. 

“Felt good,” Johnsson said in evaluating his effort. “It was a rush. A lot of energy skating around. It felt like I played more than I did. Now, I got a little touch of what it feels like and I just got show that I learned something.”

What's the biggest thing he learned?

“Move the puck faster. You just have to move it faster to get more space and make some plays.”

Johnsson will likely get a much bigger role against the Canadiens as he skated this morning alongside William Nylander and Zach Hyman

After 15 years and 981 games with the Canadiens, Tomas Plekanec will face his old team for the first time on Saturday. Is he expecting an emotional reunion? 

“The beginning of the game, I guess,” he told a big scrum of reporters. “It’s going to be special. It’s going to be different in warm-ups, seeing the guys on the other side that I played with and did warm-ups with for the past 15 years. But, personally, I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. I have a lot of things on my mind right now to get better at with Toronto.”

Was it weird for Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher to see Plekanec in blue and white after the trade?

“It was a little bit different seeing him without facial hair,” Gallagher said with a chuckle referencing Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello's rule requiring players to be clean-shaven. “I’ll probably enjoy hitting him. I’ve had a lot of fun with Pleky over the years and any time you get to play against your friend I think you’re going to have fun with him before, but during the game you want to win, because you don’t want to hear about it all the time.”

Gallagher credits Plekanec with helping him shore up the defensive side of his game. 

“He was very good at picking apart little holes in the opponents that you could use and he’d pass that on. I think that’s something I'll always remember about playing with him," Gallagher said. 

And Plekanec, a soft-spoken guy, had a subtle way of letting his teammates know when they did something wrong. 

“You just kind of remember sitting on the bench and if you do something stupid, the look he would give you and he didn’t have to say much, you just knew,” Gallagher noted with his trademark smile.

Plekanec has yet to pick up a point in seven games with the Leafs and admits he’s still adjusting to the “little details” in Toronto’s structure. 

"All those little details will fall into place once I get more familiar with the guys," he said. "I’m sure it’s going to be better."

Babcock, who chatted with Plekanec this morning, sees a player who’s thinking too much at the moment. That said, the coach is expecting a big effort tonight. 

“He's a proud guy who wants to do well, don't overthink it, just play,” Babcock said. “He'll be great tonight.

Babcock will be paying homage to his roots with a specific fashion choice on St. Patrick's Day. 

“It was a big day in our family,” Babcock said. “Mother’s maiden name was McCarthy. It was a big deal. I’m sure my kids will be entertaining themselves somewhere. I’ll wear a green tie tonight, honour it and let’s play hockey.”

The Leafs will be aiming to snap a seven-game skid against the Canadiens in Toronto. The last home win by the Leafs in this rivalry was more than four years ago (Jan. 18, 2014). 

 

Leafs lines at morning skate: 

Marleau-Kadri-Marner 

Hyman-Nylander-Johnsson

van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Brown 

Moore-Plekanec-Kapanen 

Matthews 

 

Rielly-Hainsey 

Gardiner-Polak 

Dermott-Carrick 

Martin-Leivo 

 

McElhinney 

Sparks 

 

Injured: Andersen, Komarov

Illness: Zaitsev 

 

Leafs power play units at morning skate: 

 

Rielly

Bozak-Kadri-Marner 

JvR

 

Gardiner 

Brown-Johnsson-Nylander 

Marleau