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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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Mike Babcock raised eyebrows on Thursday by saying he expected Toronto to get a couple key pieces back in the lineup soon. That seemed to be a reference to William Nylander.

Well, there was no need to read between the lines on Friday morning as the Maple Leafs coach made it clear he expects the restricted free agent to be back before the Dec. 1 deadline.

"I'm confident, hopeful," Babcock said. "I mean, Willy loves hockey. I know Willy good. He's a great teammate and a good person and he loves hockey. He wants to play hockey, you know, so I'm betting on that."

Babcock watched the Blue Jackets morning skate from the stands while sitting beside general manager Kyle Dubas. How much have the pair talked about Nylander?  

"Usually as a manager they don’t mind helping you coach the team and you don’t mind helping them manage," Babcock said. "You just have conversations, because maybe someone has an idea. I always say, 'Who did you like better than I liked after the game?' Maybe they have an idea you didn’t have. I think that’s why you surround yourself with good people, you share ideas and in the end someone needs to make a decision and that's part of his job."

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John Tortorella usually doesn’t like to talk about players on the other team, but even the Blue Jackets coach could not help but express appreciation for the understated way John Tavares approaches the game.

Tortorella doesn't know Tavares personally, but has watched him up close for many years particularly when he was in New York coaching the Rangers. 

"I certainly admire how he handles himself. I think he’s got a little old-school in him. From the outsider looking in, he looks like he’s a really humble guy."

Tortorella even compared Tavares to Sidney Crosby during his news conference Friday morning. 

"He reminds me of the other guy in Pittsburgh, just the strength on the puck," Tortorella said. "You can get caught up in his skill and all that, but I think he’s got some grind to him too as far as holding on to pucks and being strong. He scored a goal against us the other night just doing a better job in a one-on-one battle. He’s the complete deal."

 

 

"He’s one of the greats at controlling the puck down low," agreed Columbus defenceman Seth Jones, "being strong on it, being strong on his stick. You put him up there with Crosby and some of these guys with how they can be hard on the puck down low. So try to be physical on him and I think get your stick on pucks – that's the most important thing. They're crafty. They’re going to make plays through you, but you got to minimize it."

Jones and partner Ryan Murray should have their hands full with Tavares and Mitch Marner tonight. Tavares has scored 11 of his 14 goals on the road. Marner, meanwhile, was held off the scoresheet on Wednesday against Carolina, but hasn't gone consecutive games without a point all season. 

What's the biggest challenge against this dynamic duo? 

"Just their ability to make plays when it seems like nothing’s there for them," Jones said. "They use each other well. It seems like always that’s the first person each other’s looking for out there for the most part, so yeah, their ability to make plays in tight areas and then their speed. Obviously, combine that with everything and they’re tough to handle."

How does Tavares see the matchup? 

"The last couple years you’ve really seen Seth Jones take major steps in his game and his skill-set is so unique with his size and his skating ability," Tavares observed. "Obviously, great shot and awareness out there and making plays. He’s so good, because not only does he have all that, but when he’s able to be that big and close time and space with that reach and how smart he is you know you have to be well prepared.”​

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Back on Monday, the Blue Jackets were pressing for the tying goal late in the third period when leading scorer Artemi Panarin did something you rarely see. The winger crouched down and tried to use Frederik Andersen and the Leafs net as a screen while Nikita Zaitsev carried the puck in his direction. Panarin then swung his stick and almost got the puck as the Leafs defenceman came around the net. 

Jake Gardiner watched it all unfold and couldn't help but be impressed by the initiative. 

"I was trying to scream to Zaits, ‘Heads up!’ I wasn’t really sure what to say, because that doesn’t happen very often. But Zaits said he didn’t see him at all and at the last second he saw him and got rid of it. But kind of a sneaky, good little play there by him."

 

 

The Jackets top unit started strong on Monday in Toronto as Cam Atkinson and Pierre-Luc Dubois both scored staking the visitors to a 2-0 lead. 

"I thought that line was good for a lot of the game," Tortorella said. "Second half when Mike started checking with that line I think they stalled off a little bit."

The line that slowed them down was actually the unheralded Par Lindholm group with Andreas Johnsson and Connor Brown. What did they do well? 

"We tried to simplify it and make them play defence as much as possible," Brown explained. "That was a good game for us. We want to be able to play consistently to that level."

Panarin ​picked up one assist against the Leafs and has seven helpers in the last six games. But he only had one shot on net against Toronto and has now gone 10 games without a goal dating back to Oct. 27 when he had two against Buffalo. 

Is Tortorella concerned?

"No, he will [score]," the coach said. "He did nothing but fill the net this morning. He's involved and as we chart our chances for and against, he's involved in a high percentage."

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When the Leafs and Jackets faced off on Monday there were no penalties called on either team. 

"I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before, really," said Nazem Kadri, "but I guess we must’ve been playing by the rules."

Will there be a bit more edge to the proceedings tonight with the two teams playing for the second time this week?

"It all depends on how the game goes, but there’s not too much of that," Kadri said. "Wins are too important. Teams are too smart to let their emotions get the best of them."

Earlier this season, Tortorella complained about the lack of hate in today's game. 

“It’s a little frustrating, quite honestly,” Tortorella told reporters. "Conversations on the ice amongst opponents on a faceoff, it’s like a big hugfest sometimes. I don’t know if they have so many meetings with this NHLPA and all that stuff that goes on but there’s no hate and I miss that. It frustrates the [expletive] out of me."

Kadri agrees that nastiness is on the decline, but he had his own theory for why. 

"I don’t think there’s too much bad blood really anymore," the centre said. "It’s a matter of winning or losing, because that’s more important than any sort of revenge you can get."

The Sharks may have proved Kadri's point just last week when they tried to goad him into a fight as payback for the Leafs agitator dropping the gloves with Joe Thornton last season. The Leafs got an early power play as a result and scored moments after it expired. 

"If you want to go out there and send a message and take a stupid penalty, teams are just too good and they’ll make you pay for it." Kadri said. "And at the end of the day it could cost you points or maybe a playoff position, maybe home-ice advantage whatever the case may be."

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After missing Thursday's practice, Zach Hyman was on the ice for the optional Leafs skate and afterwards declared himself good to go for tonight's tilt. 

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Projected Leafs line-up for Friday's game in Columbus: 

Hyman-Tavares-Marner
Marleau-Kadri-Kapanen
Johnsson-Lindholm-Brown
Ennis-Gauthier-Leivo

Rielly-Hainsey
Gardiner-Zaitsev
Dermott-Ozhiganov 

Andersen starts
Sparks 

Scratches: Marincin, Holl
Injured: Matthews