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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The team practiced at the MasterCard Centre on Tuesday before travelling to Detroit.

- Nazem Kadri couldn't help but get reflective after potting the 100th goal of his NHL career on Monday night. "That milestone's definitely special for me just because it's been with the Toronto Maple Leafs from Day 1 and I never stopped believing in this team and they never stopped believing in me, so it's nice to contribute for them," the 26-year-old centre said. Kadri has already matched his career high in goals with 20 this season. His shooting percentage has risen from 6.5 per cent last season to 14.2 per cent this year. "It's certainly less frustrating just because you're getting the bounces and you know that you've worked so hard for something, you put in a lot of work ethic. Sometimes, if it doesn't go your way, you start to doubt some of the things you've done. Luckily, in my case, that hasn't happened."

- Half of Kadri's goals have come on the power play this season where he's playing mostly in the middle of the ice instead of the half wall. Mike Babcock believes Kadri thrives in close to the net where there's a lot of contact. "It's the best spot for him just because of the way he is and the courage he has around the net," the coach explained. It was a move that Kadri wasn't so sure about at first. "I didn't really like it too much because I'm so used to being on the outside and working the flanks, but once I put a few in the back of the net I didn't mind it so much," he said with a chuckle. "We got good guys around us, they seem to always find the right play so you do get some touches in the middle of the ice whereas before I thought you didn't get as many."

- Kadri has emerged as a leader in the dressing room, especially when it comes to making it an enjoyable place to be. "He's funny," Auston Matthews said. "He loves to chirp guys. Him and Leo [Komarov] always like to go at it and stuff so I think it's nice. It keeps the locker room light." Kadri's latest initiative – creating an Instagram account for his pet cat Jasmine aka jazzykadri – has created a buzz. "He's always talking about this cat non-stop," Matthews said. "I don't follow Jazzy the cat on Instagram, but I might have to here soon just so I can keep up on what's going on in her life. It's very interesting.” Kadri adopted the cat during a trip to animal shelter a couple years ago. "She's a local rescue and I just had an instant chemistry with her so I figured I'd throw her in a box and take her home." JazzyKadri already has more than 1,500 followers on Instagram. "I think it'd be a good follow," Kadri said. "If you want some entertainment, go for it."

- The Maple Leafs have been shorthanded 13 times in the last three games, which doesn't sit well with Babcock. "A red light should be flashing if your shorthanded that much," the coach said. "A lack of discipline with our sticks again last night and we can't keep going to the box." Mitch Marner (tripping), Tyler Bozak (hooking), Nikita Zaitsev (delay of game), Matt Hunwick (interference) and William Nylander (hooking) were all penalized during Monday's win against Calgary. "I thought a couple of them were tough,” Babcock said. “The call on Nylander and the call on Hunwick were real tough calls. The rest we deserved." Toronto's penalty kill has been excellent of late, killing off 20 of 21 power plays over the last six games and scoring two short-handed goals. But Babcock stressed that there's a bigger picture. "What happens to us is you take penalties and you lose your rhythm on your bench so guys may have been playing good and then they sit there for long periods of time and then you don't get out on the ice with your linemates and you don't have the kind of flow." Kadri, Matthews and Nylander usually take a shift together after a penalty is killed, which opens the door for the other team to get away from the matchups Babcock wants.

- The Kadri-Matthews-Nylander line actually did score in one of their rare shifts together against the Flames. Matthews started the play by flipping the puck to Nylander in the neutral zone while falling to the ice. What did Matthews see on the play? "It was after an icing so partially just trying to get the puck out, but I saw both of them kind of stretch the zone. It wasn't really a clean faceoff, it was kind of a scrummy so, I mean, knowing Willie, he's really skilled with hand-eye co-ordination and everything so I tried to shoot the puck up there." Nylander made a nice pass to Kadri who beat Brian Elliott on a wrist shot.

- One day after his 30th birthday, Komarov didn't participate in Toronto's practice. Babcock described it as a maintenance day. On Monday night, Komarov was asked if he was starting to feel like an old man in the Leafs dressing room. "Sometimes, yeah," he said with a smile. "You know, the jokes they got around here, it's not for me. But I still like the guys."

Bozak also missed practice for maintenance on Tuesday.

- Morgan Rielly (right ankle) did not take part in practice and will miss a fourth straight game on Wednesday in Detroit. "The great thing about injuries is if you win, you don't have to rush guys," Babcock said in his post-game news conference on Monday.