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TSN Toronto Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs, who practised at Ford Performance Centre on Wednesday. Game 1 of Toronto's first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens goes Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.

Out since April 20 with a shoulder injury, Zach Bogosian is poised to return to the Leafs lineup on Thursday night. 

"The outlook looks good. He got through another hard and competitive practice today," said head coach Sheldon Keefe. "It is a nice addition for us. Frankly, we were unsure if he was going to be available for this series, but credit him for the work that he has put in to get himself ready."

Bogosian skated alongside Rasmus Sandin on the third defence pair at practice and also took reps with the penalty kill. Bogosian only produced four assists in 45 regular season games, but he was a steady and physical force on Toronto's back end leading the team in hits per 60 minutes. 

What will the 6-foot-2, 200 pounder bring to the Leafs lineup in Game 1 against the Canadiens? 

"A whole lot of nasty," said winger Wayne Simmonds with a smile. "Bogo's a big guy. He plays physical. He eats the puck when the other team's shooting it. He plays with a mean attitude and he can make plays when he needs to. We're excited to have Bogo back. It just makes our team that much more tougher."

Bogosian is one of two Stanley Cup champions on the Leafs roster having gone all the way in the bubble with Tampa Bay last year. 

"He brings it every night and expects so much out of himself," said goalie Jack Campbell. "And he's not afraid to hold others accountable too, which is something that has a huge positive impact in our room." 

 

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Sandin missed the final three games of the regular season due to Toronto's tight salary cap situation, but was very impressive during an eight-game audition down the stretch. 

"What I have liked most is the way that he moves the puck," said Keefe. "I think it gives us a really strong element lower on our defence pairings — a guy that helps us get out of our zone, helps put the puck in the forwards' hands in really good spots and finds his way out of trouble very well."

The 21-year-old Swede is the only Leafs skater who will be making his Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 1. 

"You're seeing a guy that's had an opportunity and seized a job and played with a lot of confidence," said forward Jason Spezza. "The strongest part of his game is his hockey sense. I feel like he knows where everybody is on the ice at all times. He's a guy that moves pucks really well. For a forward group, he's a guy that's really easy to play with. He finds you when you get open, breaks the puck out very well and he has a competitive mean streak, too."

Sandin was with the Leafs in the playoff bubble last year, but didn't get a chance to play even after Jake Muzzin got hurt in Game 2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. This season, Sandin is feeling much stronger and is holding his own in corner battles against bigger players. 

"The one thing I really appreciate about Rasmus — right from the time I had him as an 18-year-old with the Marlies — is that he is a competitor," said Keefe. "He doesn't shy away from physicality. He doesn't shy away from difficult situations and tough moments on the ice. I have no doubt he is going to be just fine adjusting to playoff hockey in the NHL."

Sandin was only on the ice for two goals against in 111 minutes of five-on-five play this season so he's proven he can be trusted defensively. And his poise with the puck is so good that he's been practising with the top power play unit this week.  

With Bogosian returning and Sandin sticking in the lineup, Travis Dermott projects to be a healthy scratch on Thursday despite playing in all 19 of Toronto's postseason games over the last three seasons. 

 

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The Canadiens will try and gain an upper hand in the series by being ultra physical. 

"We're going to be bringing that presence from when the puck drops," said winger Josh Anderson. "We got to get on their D as much as we can and make them turn pucks over." 

Anderson, who led the Habs in hits this season, is vowing to do everything he can to frustrate and agitate Toronto's top-end talent. 
"It's going to be a war out there," he promised. 

"It's fine," said Simmonds. "We're going to play physical ourselves. I don't think we expect anything less. It's playoff time. Everyone's playing for a chance to win the Stanley Cup and, first and foremost, that starts with physicality so that's nothing too new."

Toronto added Simmonds and Bogosian in order to increase their comfort level when games get a little edgy.

"We are a much bigger team, a much more experienced team and a much more confident team in those type of situations," noted Keefe. "You left out Joe Thornton, but Joe is a big, strong guy and an absolute competitor. He has been his entire career. We are well equipped to handle whatever way the games are going to go and to play through difficult situations."

 

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Mitch Marner produced just two even-strength assists during last summer's five-game defeat at the hands of the Jackets. 

"We did have our great looks," Marner recalled, "just seems like it couldn't go in. There's really no excuses."

The Leafs finished the series with only three goals in five-on-five play while shooting a paltry two per cent. 

"We just got to make sure we're around the net," Marner said. "They have a pretty high-end goalie over there so we got to make sure we're around the net making it hard for him to see pucks and try and get second opportunities."

Montreal will do everything they can to slow down the dynamic dup of Marner and Auston Matthews, who won the Rocket Richard Trophy with 41 goals this season. 

"Those are competitive guys," said Spezza. "They know how to play. They know how to play this time of year in terms of upping their game and getting around the net. We're pretty confident they're going to navigate their way around the defensive checking." 

"We know it's going to be harder in the playoffs," acknowledged Marner. "We got to make sure we're moving around, talking to one another, communicating where we are and making sure when we are rolling around [in the offensive zone] that we're keeping someone high and not giving into their transition [game]."

Marner is riding a wave of confidence entering his fifth playoff series in the NHL. He finished fourth in league scoring this season with 67 points in 55 games. And Marner is quick to point out that the Leafs, as a group, have earned a significant swagger having led the North Division for more than 100 days. 

"We kept the pedal down all year," the 24-year-old noted. "In recent years, near the end of the year, we kind of faded off and didn't play a well-rounded game and this year we really did a great job of staying with it, sticking with our systems and playing through all those games."

Toronto started and finished last year's series looking tentative. The high-octane Leafs were shut out by Columbus in Game 1 and Game 5.  

"There's guys in the room that feel we have a lot to prove come playoff time after last year," said Spezza. "We've been a hungry team since losing to Columbus and now it's our time to kind of show that we've matured as a group."

 

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How does Campbell relax? 

"I love to cook and I've done that all season," the 29-year-old said. "I'll go home tonight, have a good meal and get ready to have some fun tomorrow."

Eleven years after being the 11th overall pick in the NHL draft, Campbell is finally making his Stanley Cup playoff debut. 

"It definitely means a lot," Campbell said. "A lot of hard work went into it ... I mean, it's just kind of where I expect myself to be and, that being said, I'm grateful for the opportunity and the team I have in front of me too."

Campbell learned a lot from backing up Jonathan Quick and Frederik Andersen in playoff games. 

"I picked up a lot of things watching their demeanour and really it doesn't change," he said. "If anything you're just naturally a little more dialled in ...  I just think it's pure excitement and this is the best time of the year. I've been on the bench in the playoffs and you still feel that excitement."

 

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/video/pure-excitement-playoff-rookie-campbell-is-right-where-he-expected-to-be%7E2205094 

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Lines at Wednesday's Leafs practice: 

Hyman-Matthews-Marner
Foligno-Tavares-Nylander
Mikheyev-Nash-Kerfoot
Thornton-Spezza-Simmonds 
Galchenyuk-Brooks-Engvall 
 
Rielly-Brodie
Muzzin-Holl
Sandin-Bogosian
Dermott-Marincin
 
Campbell 
Andersen

Special teams units at Wednesday’s Leafs practice: 

5-on-4 power play 
 
Sandin 
Marner-Thornton-Matthews
Hyman 
 
Rielly 
Nylander-Tavares-Spezza 
Simmonds 

4-on-5 penalty kill  

Foligno-Nash 
Muzzin-Holl 
 
Kerfoot-Mikheyev 
Brodie-Bogosian 
 
Note: Hyman, Marner practised with the PP, but are expected to be on the PK in games 

5-on-3 power play

Matthews-Nylander 
Marner-Hyman-Tavares 
 
Rielly-Sandin
Spezza-Simmonds-Thornton 

Five-on-six units at Wednesday's Leafs practice: 

Hyman-Matthews-Marner 
Muzzin-Holl 
 
Foligno-Tavares-Nash 
Rielly-Brodie ... Bogosian rotated in