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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs.The Leafs and Los Angeles Kings skated at Scotiabank Arena ahead of Monday’s game. 

When the Los Angeles Kings visited Toronto last year around this time, Drew Doughty generated headlines by saying the Maple Leafs weren’t a legitimate contender yet because their defence wasn’t good enough. 

A year later, questions about Toronto's blueline remain, but the team's offence is producing at an incredible rate. Has Doughty changed his view of his hometown team?

"You got to have good defence to win championships," the perennial Norris Trophy contender said, "but, I guess, when you're scoring seven goals and whatever they are, 50 per cent on the power play or something ridiculous, you can win games that way, too."

The London, Ont., native has been hearing from his buddies constantly about how good this version of the Leafs is. It's a familiar refrain, but finally the bluster has some backup.  

"They're in my ear at the start of every season, ever since I was five-years-old, it’s the same stuff at the beginning of the year," Doughty said with his trademark toothy grin, "but this time I definitely think the Leafs are for real."

Doughty played for Mike Babcock at the Olympics and believes the Toronto bench boss will have his team playing better defensively very soon.  

“I know Babs' system. He puts a lot of emphasis on defence and they have a lot of young guys so they’re going to learn how to play defence, but it takes a little bit longer to learn how to play defence," he said.

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The high-powered Leafs are 5-1-0 on the season, but are allowing 3.67 goals per game (23rd in the NHL). They are trending in the right direction when it comes to shots against, though, allowing 30.2 per game (11th in the NHL) down from 33.9 last season (28th).

"We've got a lot of room to get better," said defenceman Morgan Rielly, the NHL's second star of the week. "Moving forward, if we want to win for a long time we have to keep the puck out of our net. It’s a group effort."

On the first day of training camp, Babcock listed improving overall team defence as a key area of focus. 

Toronto allowed just two goals in Saturday's win against the Washington Capitals, but relied on some big saves from Frederik Andersen. 

"In the game against Washington, both teams had high-end chances," Babcock said after Monday’s skate. "We had 12, they had nine – that's way too many. We normally give up about six high-end (chances), we're not even talking about mid or low ones. They got lots of those when ... they had extended zone time, big, heavy bodies rolling around. We weren't able to stop the cycle. We're going to have to stop the cycle tonight. The best way to stop the cycle is to play in the O-zone and have the puck and not worry about that. That doesn't always happen."

So, how can the Leafs improve defensively? Is there a silver bullet like breakouts or more physicality? 

"A lot of it is structure," said Rielly. “We know what our structure is, it’s about executing and a lot of it is just about commitment to defence. It’s more of a mental thing, I think ... it’s just about mentally being sharp and making it tough for the opponent to get to the neutral zone and break out quicker and just limit the time in our zone and we’re able to do that. It’s about really committing to it and doing it night in, night out."

Previously, Doughty said the Kings were able to reach a championship level, because they cared just as much about preventing a goal as scoring one. 

"I think that’s something that organically happens throughout the season," said Auston Matthews. "The team buys in more and more and that’s an important thing with this group. We have a lot of guys here who are willing to buy in.”

The game has changed a bit since the Kings won titles in 2012 and 2014. The last three Stanley Cup winners – Pittsburgh twice and Washington – have been more known for their offensive capabilities than defensive stinginess. 

"Stylistically, you still believe in a lot of the same things," insisted Kings coach John Stevens, an assistant on the Cup-winning clubs. “There’s players here who’ve had a lot of success, Doughty is a great example, Anze Kopitar is a great example, where being a great checker, defender is really important to them. We still feel if you check better, you have the puck more and can attack the other way."

But Stevens also noted defences are getting more mobile. And that's where the Leafs may be in good shape.

"We’re in contention, for sure," said centre Nazem Kadri. "We have forwards that play the right way, that are able to help out (defensively) and I don’t think our D gets enough credit for being able to break the puck out and get it in the forwards' hands. I mean, even the last few winners of the Stanley Cup, their defence hasn’t had four or five or six absolute studs back there. It's a collective group and everyone's got to work together.”

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Doughty and the Kings defence will have their hands full with Matthews tonight. The Maple Leafs centre has 10 goals in six games to start the season. It’s one of the hottest starts in NHL history. 

“I saw a couple goals in his first game and since then I haven’t seen anything,” said Doughty, “but I’m obviously hearing about it and stuff like that, but I’m not a guy going to watch highlights and in America they don’t even have highlights of hockey. It’s actually kind of nice in a way.”

That’s a reason why Doughty says he never "seriously" considered signing with his hometown team. He opted to bypass free agency altogether by signing an extension with the Kings in the summer. 

Although Doughty admits, "I enjoyed hearing all those questions about me coming here, it was kind of fun." 

But hearing the same questions every day when you play in the centre of the hockey universe isn’t easy. And for a passionate guy like Doughty it may have proven a big challenge. 

“As you grow older you start caring more and more and more about your team and about how you play and mentally I start getting frustrated now as I’ve got older," the 28-year-old explained. "I used to go home and if I made a few mistakes in the game I was like, 'Whatever, tomorrow's a new day.' Now, it’s a little different, you go home and you're literally sour for the whole night and can't sleep after a game. So, mentally I wish I was as strong as I was when I was younger."

Veteran defenceman Dion Phaneuf, acquired from the Ottawa Senators by the Kings last season, has helped Doughty manage his emotions better. 

"I get frustrated sometimes and I’ll take take it out on either the refs or take it out on myself or my stick or whatever it may be," Doughty said. "He's kind of taught me that when I’m showing frustration in myself that affects the whole team and as a leader on this team I can't be doing that. I've been working on that for years and working on it and sometimes I’ll just go pyscho, but he's really helped me with that. He's just a good person, good friend and good teammate."

Doughty couldn’t say enough good things about the former Leafs captain, who was often a polarizing figure in Toronto. 

“I love the guy. He’s awesome. He’s a great fit for our team, great player. Plays so hard and stands up for his teammates all the time. Always stands up for his teammates and we’re really happy to have him. And, you know, the Leafs could probably use him now, having a veteran guy like that back on the back end, but we’re happy to have him and he’s going to help us."

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Garret Sparks will get the start for Toronto tonight as Andersen is listed as day-to-day with a knee injury. It will be the first chance for Sparks to play since allowing six goals in an overtime win in Chicago on Oct. 7. He will be backed up by Eamon McAdam of the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers who was recalled by the Leafs on Monday on an emergency basis.

Jack Campbell starts for the Kings. 

TSN's Kristen Shilton has more on Toronto's goaltending situation here. 

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Lines at Leafs morning skate: 

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

Rielly-Hainsey 
Gardiner-Zaitsev 
Dermott-Ozhiganov 
Marincin-Holl 

Sparks starts 
McAdam