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TSN Toronto Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs, who held an optional practice on Wednesday at Scotiabank Arena ahead of Friday’s game against the Boston Bruins.


After sitting six straight games with an undisclosed injury, Jake Muzzin returned to the Leafs lineup on Tuesday.  

"It felt good and I felt good," he said with a smile. "So, it was good."

It's been a tough season for the 33-year-old defenceman, who started slow before being sidelined with two concussions. And that was before this latest injury issue popped up. 
 
"It's a little bit of frustration, for sure, but it's part of the game," Muzzin said. "Any time you're away from the game or your teammates on the ice you get a sense of how special it is when you are there. I went through that this year."

Muzzin has only played five games since Feb. 21 and the latest injury remains a factor. 

"He's not going to be playing at 100 per cent," revealed coach Sheldon Keefe. "That's the reality. But, he played last night and got through the game and felt good and feels good today to the point that, on an optional day, he was back out on the ice again and continued to get work in. So, that's very encouraging."

With one game left in the regular season, Muzzin's status remains a question mark.  

"That's what I'm most concerned with here now," Keefe acknowledged. "The expectation is he'll play again on Friday and get another game in."

Muzzin partnered with T.J. Brodie and saw time on the penalty kill while logging 20 minutes and 38 seconds on Tuesday in the 3-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings.

"He's faced a lot of adversity," said goalie Jack Campbell. "To say, 'He's an important part of our team,' would be an understatement. He's such a presence in the room and on the ice his ability speaks for itself. Last night, it was just amazing to have him back and him feeling good. I can't say enough what he means to our team."

Muzzin is a Stanley Cup champion, one of only two on the roster along with Kyle Clifford, and part of the team's extended leadership group. 

Toronto's recent playoff letdowns can be tied, in part, to Muzzin's absence. He got hurt in Game 2 of the 2020 series against the Columbus Blue Jackets and in Game 6 of the 2021 series against the Montreal Canadiens.   

"We were in pretty good spots and we lost Jake Muzzin and we didn't recover," Keefe said. "There's other reasons that go into that, of course, but losing Muzz is one of those reasons. He means a lot to our team."

 

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The Leafs feel better positioned to deal with a key injury on defence if that happens again this year. Mark Giordano and Ilya Lyubushkin were acquired via trade this season while 22-year-olds Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin have taken big steps in their development. 

Despite his rookie status, Liljegren has made a compelling case for playoff playing time. 

"He's certainly taken steps to the point where he's absolutely a big factor in the conversation of what our six is going to look like in Game 1," said Keefe. "He's found another level in his play and Giordano, of course, contributes to that with his presence."

Giordano was partnered with Liljegren after the trade deadline and has played mostly with the Swede down the stretch. 

"Sometimes you just have chemistry with certain guys," said Giordano. "Me and Lily, right from the start, it seems like our games sort of complemented each other a bit. For a young guy, he's smart defensively and good with his reads and then we're both pretty good puck movers. I think it's worked well."

As an 18-year-old, Liljegren helped Keefe's Toronto Marlies win a Calder Cup in 2018, but there's nothing like the Stanley Cup playoffs. Young guys tend to be more prone to making mistakes under pressure.  

"There's times when you can still see some of that inexperience come through," Keefe acknowledged, "yet he seems to be reducing the amount of times you see that."

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Justin Holl was a healthy scratch on Tuesday, but Keefe made it clear the team hasn't settled on its pairs for Game 1. 

"It's going to very difficult," the coach said. "It's a daily discussion for us and I don't know that we ever reach a solution. When we finish the meeting we kind of push it to the next day, to be honest, so that's really where we're at." 

The Leafs still don't know whether they'll face the Tampa Bay Lightning or Boston Bruins in the first round. 

"The opponent will factor in," Keefe said. "I think some of the matchups will factor in. We've liked the way things have gone for our team in terms of how guys have come in and out. We've moved things around at different times and they've adjusted and we just feel like that's probably the way it's going to be. What it looks like in Game 1 doesn't necessarily mean that's what it looks like in Game 2." 

Sandin will take part in Thursday's practice as he works his way back from a knee injury sustained on March 19. Any chance he plays against the Bruins in Friday's regular-season finale? 

"They look at Friday as being aggressive for him," Keefe said of his talks with the medical staff. "It's unlikely, at this point, that he plays this week."

 

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Mitch Marner is three points away from becoming the fourth Maple Leaf to reach 100 in a season. Marner would be the first winger to join Toronto's century club. 

"You try not to think about it," Marner said last week, "but it definitely would be a cool thing."

Marner has recorded three or more points in 12 games this season. 

Thanks to Tuesday's win, Toronto is now locked into the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Division and may sit some regulars in the regular-season finale. Per Keefe, Marner's milestone pursuit will be considered as the team weighs whether to have the 24-year-old face the Bruins. 

"He's already a 100-point guy to me," Keefe said. "That's how you describe players. You're either a point-a-game guy or a 100-point guy, you don't really talk about what comes in between, and Mitch is right there. He's had an unbelievable season for us."

Marner was rested in the regular-season finale last year, but he had played in every previous game. This year, he missed nine games with a shoulder injury and COVID. Marner is averaging 20 minutes and 53 seconds of ice time per game, which is down from 22 minutes and 26 seconds last season.  

Keefe planned to have conversations with his players about who plays in Game No. 82 on Friday. Taking a night off may be a tough sell for some guys. 

"I know this sounds weird, but sometimes taking days off you feel worse the next time," Giordano, 38, said. "As you get older, especially, I think taking days off, sometimes your body stiffens up and tightens up. So, whether I play or not I always make sure I do something to keep the body loose."

 

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You can certainly understand why Marner would want a shot to author a milestone moment. The atmosphere on Tuesday when Auston Matthews scored No. 60 was electric. 

"That building was rocking," Muzzin said. "You don't get chills like that in a rink very often. It's a special moment."

"We just wanted it so bad for him," said Campbell. "It was really cool the way he did it with the highlight-reel goal to put the game away."

Much like they did when he scored No. 50, teammates showered Matthews with water when he entered the dressing room. 

"Just the reaction from them, I mean, that's what it's all about," Matthews said. 

"The guys feel so happy for him because he is our leader," Keefe said. "He does so many other things that you want to see him get rewarded. The guys also feel a part of it, as they should."

Fans serenaded Matthews with chants of "MVP! MVP!" after the historic goal. Leafs captain John Tavares believes the 24-year-old from Arizona should be voted the Hart Trophy winner this year. 

"It's not close," Tavares said while noting he's a bit biased. "The way he goes about it. The way he does it. The consistency. Some of the things he's done you continue to shake your head at times ... He wants to be a difference maker game in and game out."

 

Matthews is just the third player in the salary-cap era (since 2005-06) to score 60 goals in a season joining Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos and Washington's Alex Ovechkin. 

"It's a big honour to be in the same breath as those two guys," Matthews said. "What they've been able to accomplish in their careers, I'm still striving to be on that level still. So, there's a lot of work to be done."

Stamkos' Lightning missed the playoffs when he scored 60 over 82 games in 2011-12 while Ovechkin's Capitals got bounced in the first round after he scored 65 over 82 games in 2007-08. Matthews reached 60 goals in just 73 games. 

Matthews' 44 even-strength goals are 10 more than the next-closest players (Winnipeg's Kyle Connor and Edmonton's Connor McDavid). 

"It is the hardest thing to do in the game," Keefe stressed. "It seems like nobody is able to do that at anywhere near the same level. That is special ... The way he scores in so many different ways, how he uses his body, his personality, the professionalism that he has, the demeanour he maintains throughout all of it, he is special. I don't know if there is anyone quite like it. I don't know if the Leafs have seen anyone quite like it, either."

 

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Campbell sidestepped a question about whether he wants to play on Friday. 

"I just go in when coach puts me in," the 30-year-old said. "I feel really good right now just like [the] team does and, like I said, whenever I get the nod I'm ready to go."

Keefe didn't want to divulge his goaltending plan, because he had not spoken to Campbell about it. 

"I have a pretty good sense of what we'll do there," the coach said. 

After posting a 20-save shutout on Tuesday, Campbell doesn't look like he needs any further playoff prep. 

"He was perfect," said Keefe. "That is really what you are looking for. More important than just the shutout was how he looked. He looked super calm and relaxed. There were a couple of times that we had some breakdowns — not a lot of them, but when we did, he was solid."

Campbell has not lost in regulation (7-0-2) since returning from a rib injury on April 2. He has a .943 save percentage over his last four starts. 

What's he feeling with the playoffs less than a week away? 

"It's excitement," Campbell said. "I mean, we're human and [Jason] Spezza and I were giggling today about just how excited we are to start. It's going to be a blast out there and a heck of a series."

 

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The Leafs have two full practices (Thursday and Sunday) remaining before Game 1 of the playoffs.