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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Leafs and Anaheim Ducks skated on Monday morning at the Air Canada Centre. 

Toronto’s top line had an uncharacteristically quiet night Saturday in Boston as Auston Matthews was held to just one shot attempt. It's clear the sophomore c​entre is eag​er to turn the page on the performance. ​

“We’ve been playing well,” Matthews said after getting a series of questions about the setback in Boston. “We just had an off game on Saturday. We just got to regroup and play the way we’ve been playing. So, I mean, we don’t need to keep talking about Saturday, we just need to move on. Obviously, a new day and a new challenge ahead of us.”

“We were not playing to (the) level we can play at so that’s something we want to change tonight,” said William Nylander. “Overall, in general, they were dominating us throughout the entire game.”

The Matthews line usually responds well after an off night.

“We get fired up,” said Nylander. “We want to get back on a roll here. I think that’s what we need. We can do it. We’re excited for tonight.”

Boston's Patrice Bergeron, a four time Selke winner, was at his suffocating best against the Leafs on Saturday. 

“It definitely kind of motivates you,” said Matthews when asked about facing other top players. “You know you have to play your best or they’ll end up with the puck all night and establish a forecheck and play in your zone.”

Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler give the Ducks quite a one-two punch down the middle. Both centres have played more than 95 playoff games and that experience may provide an edge in a showdown with Matthews.

“Auston’s obviously got youth and he can skate like the wind and there are different things that he’ll use in his game and I have to use other things in my game,” Getzlaf said. 

Getzlaf, who came out on the losing end of a head-to-head battle against Matthews last season in Toronto, said learning from the likes of Scott Niedermayer, Chris Pronger and Teemu Selanne early in his career helped him mature quickly. 

“We learned how to win at an early age and that’s a skill, it doesn’t just happen, you have to develop those habits and what it takes to win,” the Ducks captain explained. “The biggest thing is that consistency you learn how to play with on a nightly basis and learn how to get your group going every night and get yourself ready and prepared.”

 

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Despite the sluggish effort on Saturday, Leafs coach Mike Babcock is keeping his forward lines intact. He is, however, making a change on defence as Roman Polak is back in after missing three games due to an illness. Babcock was asked if tonight’s matchup, against a heavy Ducks team, sparked the decision to insert the burly blueliner back into the lineup. 

“That's part of it, but we think Polak is important and a good player for us,” Babcock said. “He's a real good penalty killer. We gave up two power-play goals last game. We think they've got a good power play even though the numbers may not look like that. We think they're real dangerous that way, so Polie fits in. Plus, [Travis Dermott] seems to really move the puck good with him.”

 

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The Ducks are coming off losses in Ottawa and Montreal and are currently outside a playoff spot. Head coach Randy Carlyle believes discipline has been a key reason for his team's mini slide. 

“The first thing has to be discipline,” he said. “We gave Montreal seven opportunities to practice their power play and you can’t do that. You’re putting a tremendous amount of pressure not just on your penalty killers, but your goaltender and everybody. Everybody gets out of sync, your penalty killers play, your skill players and your power play sits on the bench and you overwork people. Our lesson wasn’t learnt after Ottawa when we took five minors so discipline’s been a factor here that we have to address. We’ve tried to address it and the only options after this is ice time so that’s the way it’s going to go.”

Nine different Ducks have been whistled for infractions in the last two games and there has also been a bench minor for too many men. 

Carlyle is also imploring his players to not just get to the net, but stay in the 10-15 foot area around the crease to get second-chance goals. 

“There are obvious reasons why some people aren't scoring,” Carlyle noted. “We got to do a better job of getting there and staying there. We’ve been in there, we just don’t seem to want to make a living there.”

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John Gibson, who missed the last two games with a lower body injury, skated on Monday.

“That’s a great sign and we think he’s not far away,” Carlyle said.

Ryan Miller, pulled after allowing three goals in just over 10 minutes of action against the Canadiens on Saturday, is expected to start against the Leafs.

Projected lineup for Monday’s game:

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander 

Marleau-Kadri-Marner 

van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Brown 

Komarov-Moore-Kapanen

Scratches: Leivo, Martin 

 

Rielly-Hainsey 

Gardiner-Zaitsev 

Dermott-Polak 

Scratch: Carrick 

 

Andersen starts 

McElhinney