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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes on the Maple Leafs, who practised at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Friday before flying to Edmonton ahead of Saturday’s game against the Oilers. 

Auston Matthews believes he and linemates Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen have more to give. 

"I feel we can be a lot better," the 21-year-old centre admitted after Friday's practice. "Our strength is our speed. I think when we take care of the puck and we just get in their zone, we're fast, you know, pretty agile, can make plays, move around in the offensive zone. I think a good goal for us is just to spend more time in the O-zone, hanging onto pucks and creating chances below the dots."

With Nazem Kadri returning from injury Saturday in Edmonton, there was an opportunity for coach Mike Babcock to shuffle William Nylander, who’s been filling in down the middle, back to the Matthews line. But Nylander remained on the third line at practice and Babcock made it clear he saw no pressing reason to change things with the Matthews group even though they haven't produced a goal in four straight. 

"I thought they were pretty good last game, to be honest with you," Babcock said. "I didn’t like them as much in Calgary, but they've done a pretty good job. The biggest thing is taking care of the puck and then Auston's a big man, can roll around, and Johnny has that skill-set so does Kappy."

Matthews has just two assists in five games matching his quietest five-game run of the season. He’s one of the game's most dynamic scorers so you can understand why this dry spell doesn't sit well with him. He said establishing more of a cycle game is a priority. 

"It's really important to not to be one and done because, especially towards the end of the season, that's kind of where the game's at, it’s down low, below the dots and the neutral zone's pretty jammed up so it will be a good test tomorrow night to kind of get back on track. I thought we did a better job against Vancouver and generating more chances off the cycle, but we can always be better."

"Consistency in the National Hockey League is the toughest thing to have," noted Babcock, "but we need those guys to be effective and when they take care of the puck, especially when Auston’s skating, when he's skating he’s a load, and that’s important that happens."

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Adding to the sense of urgency is the play of the Bruins, who are 14-0-4 since Jan. 29 and have moved four points clear of the Leafs in the race for second place in the Atlantic Division. 

"They’ve been extremely hot," Matthews said. "They’re playing well and it’s good for us to see that and make sure we take our game to another level as well."

How important is the race for home-ice advantage? 

"I mean, it's important," Matthews said. "You’d obviously love to have it. I don’t think that’s really the main focus right now. We’re just trying to take it one game at a time and obviously win hockey games and give ourselves a chance to compete and win every night. I think that’s maybe in the back of our minds, but I don't think it’s too much of a main focus for us."

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With 30 goals and 30 assists in 53 games, the numbers suggest Matthews is having a great season.

"Yeah, I mean, they're fine," he said with a sigh when the statistics are mentioned. 

Matthews then smiles when asked to assess his season to date. 

"I don’t know what you really want me to say. But, I just try and go out and play hockey, do what I do, which is obviously help this team score and play a 200-foot game and just do my thing."

Matthews would be on pace for an even better season had he not sustained a shoulder injury on Oct. 27, which forced him to miss 14 games. 

"The injury sets you back a bit," he noted. "I mean, probably about a month or two after I felt like I got my legs back and skating was a lot better, just more comfortable out there."

Really? It took that long to get back to feeling right? 

"Yeah, I mean, it takes time," he explained. "It’s hard. I mean, you can only do so much stuff in the gym, but until you really get back in a game, it’s really tough to get into game shape without playing games and practising every day and being in that setting and that pace so it’s tough. It’s not easy, but once you get back to where you were prior to the injury you start to feel more and more like yourself and kind of back to where you were at the beginning of the season."

While Matthews is happy with his improved skating stride this season, he's also proud of how the playmaking part of his game has grown. One objective at the start of the season was to have more assists than goals. 

"I think just trying to find guys," he explained. "Teams watch video and they make adjustments and they know I like to shoot the puck so maybe you draw a couple guys to you and you find a linemate or something like that ... so a lot of areas where you want to improve in and that was definitely one of them."

Matthews has already reached a career high in assists. 

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Babcock raised eyebrows on Wednesday morning by saying the team was planning to cap Frederik Andersen at around 56 starts this season. Andersen, who made 66 starts in each of the last two seasons, wasn't really interested in discussing the matter after the loss to the Canucks – "I don't care about the number, per se," he said, "I just play when they tell me" – and then the team took off Thursday.  

“I misspoke, no one misquoted me,” Babcock said when asked about the team's plan to rest Andersen down the stretch. "When I asked the question about the math, the math was wrong, this is on me."

Babcock suggested that 60 starts is the more likely goal for Andersen. 

"We got the schedule all laid out," he said. "I feel he's going to get to be around that, 60, but who knows. The 56 is on me. How’s that." 

One thing we know for certain is Andersen will make his 50th start of the season on Saturday. He's 10-0-1 with a .927 save percentage in his career against the Oilers. 

After playing in Edmonton, the Leafs will have 14 games left with only three back-to-back sets. 

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Kadri will return to the lineup after missing eight games with a concussion and expectations are high for the centre down the stretch. 

"I think when you get injured sometimes, to be honest with you, it can be a bit of an advantage, you get a real freshen up," said Babcock, "and we need Naz to come back and be as good or better than he's been all year and be a real important player for us so it's good to have him back. Obviously, he's had lots of skating opportunity so he's not coming back not ready to go. He’s ready to go and now he’s got to get himself used to the games, but it’s important to get him back and get everyone in their right spots so that we can move ahead with the group we have."

Kadri, who only missed eight games combined in the previous three seasons, has been out since taking a big hit from Vince Dunn on Feb. 19 against the Blues in St. Louis. 

"Just going to try and get into the game early," Kadri told a group of reporters including Leafs Nation Network, "get involved and engaged so I think just banging that first shift out right off the bat and after that it just feels like a regular hockey game. So, I'm excited to say the least, for sure."

Kadri slots right back in between Patrick Marleau and Nylander. 

"We should catch on pretty quick," Kadri vowed. "It was a line that brought some success before the injury."

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With Kadri’s return, the competition to play on the fourth line is getting more fierce. Frederik Gauthier, who sat as a healthy scratch on Wednesday, missed practice due to illness, but is expected to play on Saturday.

"He’s not feeling good today, but obviously we’re counting on him playing tomorrow," Babcock stated. 

Connor Brown shifts down to the right wing spot on the fourth line while Edmonton native Tyler Ennis, who picked up his first career hat trick against the Flames on Monday, was the left winger at practice. Trevor Moore appeared to be the odd man out. 

"I don’t know 100 per cent," Babcock said when asked if the plan is for Moore to sit. "We're just going to talk about that here on the flight and go from there. All those guys have played pretty well. I thought that the Moore-Goat-Ennis line, in particular, was really effective for us over a period of time."

Nic Petan skated as the centre on the fourth line at practice, but would likely sit should Gauthier be good to go. Against the Canucks, Babcock went with Ennis-Petan-Moore, but said afterwards it was a mistake because he didn’t feel comfortable playing that trio as much in the defensive end. 

"I made that decision last game, no one else, and didn’t play the Goat and that line wasn’t as good."

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Lines at Friday’s Leafs practice: 

Forwards
Hyman-Tavares-Marner
Johnsson-Matthews-Kapanen
Marleau-Kadri-Nylander
Ennis-Petan-Brown
Moore 

Defencemen
Rielly-Hainsey
Muzzin-Zaitsev
Marincin-Ozhiganov
Holl

Goaltenders
Andersen
Sparks 

Absent: Gauthier (Illness)

Power play units at Friday’s Leafs practice: 

Rielly
Matthews-Kadri-Marner
Tavares

Muzzin
Ennis-Johnsson-Nylander
Marleau