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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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The Toronto Maple Leafs (optional) and Seattle Kraken skated at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday. 

In the third period on Monday night, Auston Matthews and Michael Bunting simultaneously swung at a loose puck in front of the Columbus net. The puck went in, and both celebrated like they scored. 

"We were actually arguing about who put it in," Matthews told reporters afterwards. "We were arguing back and forth, jokingly, and then we were just like, 'Ah, whatever, it's a big goal for our team. Who cares?'"

Toronto's top line has been scoring a lot of big goals of late and the off-ice chemistry between Matthews and Bunting is a big reason why. 

"I heard the two just bickering back and forth," linemate Mitch Marner said of Monday's great goal debate. "It's kind of like a divorced couple, to be honest, sometimes with those two. It's funny."

"Having that type of banter and that type of chemistry is important," said coach Sheldon Keefe. "It makes you excited to play with a guy and when things are good things are usually really good because you're feeding off that energy. It also allows you to have difficult conversations and push and challenge each other at the same time."

Matthews and Bunting have different backgrounds and took different paths to the National Hockey League. Matthews, a 24-year-old Arizona native, was the first-overall pick in 2016 and immediately made a splash with the Leafs. Bunting, a 26-year-old from Scarborough, Ont., is a late bloomer who only played 26 NHL games before this season. 

But the pair do share a tie to the desert. Bunting played for the Arizona Coyotes and their American Hockey League affiliate in Tucson the last five seasons. 

"It helps that Bunts was in AZ and they kind of know the same people," Marner said. "From the start they hit it off."

Morgan Rielly feels the friendship is a sign of Matthews evolving as a leader. 

"Auston's grown a lot just in his off-ice demeanour," Rielly said. "He takes that role very seriously. A guy comes into a new team and there's an opportunity that he may play on his line, so Auston took a lot of time during training camp to spend time with Michael. They had a bond right away and I give Auston some credit there. He took that upon himself to make that happen." 

It also helps that Bunting is no shrinking violet. On the ice, he's in the middle of everything. Off the ice, he's a motormouth. 

"It speaks to Bunts' personality that he just puts himself out there and is an engaging guy," said Keefe, who also coached Bunting in the Ontario Hockey League. "The fact that [chemistry's] developed in such a short period of time – just this first season being together – is great for us."

Bunting got credit for the debated goal on Monday. He leads all NHL rookies in goals (20) and points (45). 

"I don't want to be taking goals away from him," Bunting told reporters after the game. "He's [in] a race."

"We'll see if that comes back to haunt Matts," Marner said with a smile. "Hopefully it doesn't. Hopefully we make sure he keeps getting more." 

Matthews did score earlier in the game on Monday night. He's now up to 40 goals, which leads the league. He's two up on Edmonton's Leon Draisaitl and New York's Chris Kreider. 

"Some of the stuff he does, I kind of just giggle to myself mid-game," Bunting said. "It's pretty remarkable. He's such an exceptional player."

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Jack Campbell allowed five goals on 28 shots in a loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. It was the latest setback for the embattled goalie, who is searching to find his game. Keefe likes how Campbell got back to work at Sunday's practice. 

"You want to see how he'll react," Keefe said. "How's he going to be today? Is he going to be down in the dumps? Is he going to be tired? Is he going to be showing signs of a guy who's stressed? It was the opposite. He looked to me like he was coming in wanting to do work, wanting to show well. He was playing at the top of his crease. I don't know if he let in a goal in that practice, at least when I was watching, and that was a really good sign that he's just going to continue to fight and compete. We want him to be aggressive and confident in himself. I feel good about putting him back in tonight."

"He's been good," Marner said. "You haven't really noticed a difference in his attitude at all."

How are teammates supporting Campbell? 

"You let him set the tone and read off him," Rielly said. "I don't think there's anything going on that's unusual. He's been working hard and feels like he has to find his game ... I don't think he gets too down on himself. I think he holds himself to a very high standard and I think that's a great thing in a teammate."

Campbell stopped 23 of 25 shots to earn a win in Seattle on Feb. 14.

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Jake Muzzin skated for about 40 minutes on Tuesday morning. It's the first time we've seen the defenceman on the ice since he sustained a concussion on Feb. 21. 

"He's been feeling good for a little while now, so it's not a big surprise to anybody," said Keefe. "He's been around our group on practice days. It's a good part of his progression, for sure. We're happy to see him out there."

There is no set timeline for his return to game action. 

"It's whenever he's ready," said Keefe.

Muzzin also sustained a concussion in January. 

"It is a great step forward," said Marner, who describes Muzzin as a big brother to him. "Hopefully everything gets healed up quickly but, at the same time, it's a precious thing, your head, so you got to make sure you're doing all the right things."

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The Kraken signed leading scorer Jared McCann to a five-year extension worth $25-million on Monday. 

"A lot of pressure off my shoulders," said McCann, who has 33 points in 50 games. "Now, I can just focus on playing hockey. It's a huge honour to get that deal and be a part of this for the future ... It's more motivation than pressure. It's not going to change me at all."

The 25-year-old from Stratford, Ont., has already played for four NHL teams in his young career (Vancouver, Florida, Pittsburgh and Seattle) and is eager to lay down roots. 

"I feel like it happened pretty quickly," McCann said of the negotiations. "We talked for a couple weeks and got something rolling. I really wanted some term to be able to be in a place for a while and they were accommodating ... I've rented my whole career in the NHL and to maybe be able to own something would take a lot of weight off my shoulders."

In an alternate universe, McCann may have been looking into Toronto real estate. The Leafs acquired the forward from Pittsburgh in the lead-up to the expansion draft in the summer. 

"My buddies don't let me forget about it, that's for sure," McCann said with a smile. "I was a Leaf for 72 hours there. It was pretty funny."

The Leafs opted to protect four defencemen in the expansion draft to ensure Justin Holl wasn't plucked from the roster. General manager Kyle Dubas wanted some insurance in case Alex Kerfoot was selected and was up front with McCann right away. 

For a moment, though, McCann thought he'd be staying in Toronto. A leaked video that created a buzz on social media the day before the expansion draft showed the Kraken selecting Kerfoot.  

"I saw that and called my agent right away," McCann recalled. "I was like, 'Oh it looks like I'm staying in Toronto' ... A lot of people jumped the gun and thought I'd be a Leaf ... Things happen for a reason, and I'm meant to be in Seattle."

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Ondrej Kase skated on Tuesday morning and will be a game-time decision. The winger has missed the past four games with an upper-body injury. 

Rasmus Sandin also skated, but the defenceman is expected to miss a third straight game as he recovers from a non-COVID illness. 

"He's still not quite at 100 per cent," Keefe said. "He's probably fine enough to play, but not himself quite yet. We'll probably have him out again."