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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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The Maple Leafs skated at TD Garden in Boston on Tuesday. 

Auston Matthews isn't fixated on 50. 

"It's not something I really think about, honestly," the Leafs centre said. "That kind of stuff has a way of working itself out as long as I'm taking care of myself and making sure I'm playing the right way."

Matthews scored a pair of goals in a win against Boston in November and if he can replicate the feat on Tuesday night then he'll become just the fourth Maple Leaf to score 50 goals in a season. The only names currently on that list are Rick Vaive (1981-82, 1982-83 and 1983-84), Gary Leeman (1989-90) and Dave Andreychuk (1993-94).

"It's incredible," said Leafs winger William Nylander. "He's scoring goals all different ways. He's not even thinking about scoring goals. He's thinking about winning games."

Matthews has been so special that 50 has felt inevitable for a while. He was on pace to surpass that number in the last two campaigns. Matthews tallied 47 goals in 70 games before the pandemic abruptly ended the 2019-20 regular season. He posted 41 goals in 52 games during the abbreviated 2020-21 season. 

"We're all excited, but we don't talk about it or anything," said Nylander. "Like, I think we all know he's going to get 50 so there's no worry." 

How about 60? 

"That'd be incredible," Nylander said. "If there's anyone who can do it, it's him." 

Steven Stamkos, the last player to score 60, agrees. The Lightning captain, who hit the mark in the 2011-12 season, has predicted that Matthews will be the next player to reach that lofty total. 

"It's really humbling," Matthews said. "A guy who's been in this league a long time and accomplished pretty much everything there is to accomplish, so it's definitely humbling hearing that coming from him."  

Matthews has scored in eight of his last nine games. The Arizona native is quick to credit linemates Mitch Marner and Michael Bunting.  

"Our chemistry has gotten better and better as the season's gone on," Matthews said. "We've found a recipe for success within our work ethic and competitiveness on both sides of the puck."

That chemistry and competitiveness will be put to the test against the Bruins, who are on a 14-2-1 run and have surged into a tie with the Leafs on 87 points.  

"I find they play the same day in, day out," observed Matthews. "They're really consistent and I think that comes from the veteran guys and the leadership they have in that room. They demand a certain standard so it's not really too surprising to see them have success. They play hard. They play really well on both sides of the puck."

"It's as good a defensive team as there is in the league," said coach Sheldon Keefe. "They don't give you a whole lot. You have to really work to get to their net."

Matthews will likely see a lot of perennial Selke Trophy contender Patrice Bergeron. 

"His hockey IQ is off the charts," Matthews said. "It's always a challenge. It's a challenge that has to excite you, to go up against guys of that calibre and to just compete."

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Nylander will remain on the third line with David Kampf and Pierre Engvall to start Tuesday's game.

"Kampfer's more defensive-minded and focused on playing defence and that's a good help for me to get the thing going the other way," Nylander said. 

Since Jan. 18, Nylander has the worst plus-minus mark in the NHL (-21 in 29 games).

"It's something I don't like, obviously," Nylander said of being on the ice for so many goals against. "It's a s----y feeling."

Keefe is quick to point out that this isn't all on Nylander. The goaltending has been shaky and there are other breakdowns that Nylander isn't involved with. But the 25-year-old has also struggled. On Saturday, Nylander was demoted following a poor backcheck.

How's he dealing with everything? 

"In Montreal there, that's my guy, I got to do better," Nylander said. "OK. Next game I got to do better. That's all."

Nylander played a season low 14 minutes and 10 seconds on Sunday against the Florida Panthers, but he did play better. 

"He worked," said Keefe. "I thought he had the puck on his stick a fair bit and they had some good shifts. In the third period that line had some really good shifts, probably their best shifts came in the third."

Meanwhile, Ilya Mikheyev scored a highlight-reel goal and made the most of his time on the second line with John Tavares.

How concerned is Keefe about the unsettled second line? 

"It's high on the list, for sure," the coach acknowledged. "It has been, throughout the season at times, very good for us so we're confident in that, that we can get it to that point. At the same time, as we mix things up here maybe something else comes to light that we like."

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The fourth line has also been an issue of late. The Leafs didn't generate even one shot attempt with Jason Spezza, Colin Blackwell and Wayne Simmonds on the ice on Sunday. So, Keefe is making a change in Boston. Blackwell will move to the middle, which pushes Spezza to right wing. Kyle Clifford will draw in replacing Simmonds, who has gone 31 games without scoring. 

"Blackwell's played centre through his life, not a whole lot in the NHL necessarily, but he's comfortable taking faceoffs," Keefe said. "He's actually quite good on the draw. We do have Spezza's presence there still to take faceoffs. We want to see how that changes the dynamic."

What's the identity of the fourth line when it's clicking?

"It depends on who's in and who's out," said Keefe. "But what we're looking for from the fourth line is to just be a line that can look to win shifts and generate momentum, spend time in the other end and give us energy, physicality, presence, those kind of things."

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Nick Abruzzese may be able to help the fourth line. The Harvard forward, who represented Team USA at the Olympics, signed an entry-level deal with the Leafs over the weekend.

"Really smart player," said Keefe. "Very skilled player. Has produced at a very high rate both at the USHL and now in college hockey. He was one of the captains at Harvard which speaks to his character and leadership and what his teammates think of him." 

Abruzzese racked up 33 points in 28 games this season en route to being named the Ivy League's player of the year. He skated with the Leafs for the first time on Tuesday taking reps with Spezza and Blackwell.  

"Even being out there for a morning skate where it's pretty relaxed and everyone's just trying to get loose, you can feel a higher pace and higher intensity level," the 22-year-old noted. 

Per Keefe, Abruzzese will make his NHL debut "in the near future." 

"They're having a great year," Abruzzese said, "and there's some pretty big aspirations so in whatever way I can help I'm just here to do that ... At the end of the day, I think I was ready to make this jump to professional hockey and I'm happy to have done that." 

Abruzzese, a fourth round pick in 2019, is grateful that the Leafs have fellow Harvard alumni like Blackwell and Alex Kerfoot already in the fold. 

"It makes the process a lot easier," he said. "I met Kerfoot a couple times last summer so I had a little familiarity with him."

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Ondrej Kase did not travel to Boston with the team. He has not been seen on the ice since taking a hit to the head in Nashville on March 19. 

"He's in a holding pattern right now as he's trying to figure out his next steps," Keefe said. "He's continuing to be active and work out."

Has Kase been diagnosed with a concussion? 

"They haven't told me that at this point," Keefe said.

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Jack Campbell participated in his first full team skate since being sidelined with a rib injury. 

"He doesn't look far off," noted Keefe. "I'd say day to day from here." 

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Lines at Tuesday's skate: 

Bunting-Matthews-Marner
Mikheyev-Tavares-Kerfoot
Nylander-Kampf-Engvall
Clifford/Abruzzese-Blackwell-Spezza

Rielly-Lyubushkin
Brodie-Holl
Giordano-Liljegren
Dahlstrom-Simmonds 

Mrazek starts 
Kallgren 
Campbell