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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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The Maple Leafs practised at Ford Performance Centre on Friday ahead of Saturday’s game against the Flyers in Philadelphia. 

Jack Campbell took part in his first full practice Friday since being forced from the lineup with a rib injury and the goalie will start Saturday's game against the Flyers in Philadelphia. Campbell, who last played on March 8, believes the time between games has served him well. 
 
"It was pretty huge just for feeling better and letting that settle down and woking on my game and getting my body in great shape in the gym," the 30-year-old said. "Just chilling out and having some fun, working hard and just ready to get back at it." 
 
"He looks like he is refreshed," observed coach Sheldon Keefe. "I think that is natural for that to happen when you can separate yourself from the game for a little while. We wish he remained healthy, but there are some positives that come with being able to take some time away. It is a long season, especially for a guy who plays that position. To get that mental and physical break, there are benefits to come from that."
 
Campbell revealed that he initially sustained the injury during a game on Feb. 22 in Columbus. He allowed 14 goals in his next three starts before the decision was made to shut things down for a bit. 
 
"I'm not going to make any excuse [for] my performance," Campbell said, "but it's not fun to play through some pain. It's part of the game and I'm fortunate the team has my back and let me heal and get stronger. I'm ready to go now."
 
This is the first time Campbell has been the No. 1 goalie for a team and that has been an adjustment. Even before the injury, Campbell was dealing with what Keefe described as a mental block. 
 
"This is a long season," Keefe said on Friday. "If you factor in all of the COVID stuff that we have been through and the toll that takes on him, the goaltending position itself, and this market as well, with all of those things, a little break can be a good thing. Jack's energy really never has changed, but you can certainly see him having lots of bounce in his step around the room these days. He is excited to get back to playing. He has worked incredibly hard to be ready."
 
Campbell's mindset now? 
 
"Just looking forward to the most fun part of the year," he said.

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Did Jake Muzzin think about his life after hockey after suffering his second concussion of the season? 
 
"Yeah, the first time you think about life too," he said with a chuckle. "Always. You're always thinking about your health and what's really important, but I feel good."
 
The 33-year-old husband and father sustained a concussion on Jan. 15 in St. Louis and then another one on Feb. 21 in Montreal. It's been a long road back, but Muzzin is almost ready to return to the lineup. On Friday, he practised in a regular sweater for the first time during the recovery process.
 
Muzzin returned to the ice on March 8 and he's been practising with the team since March 16. 
 
"I understand being patient is important," Muzzin said. "I want to be out there with the guys playing, but there's a lot more important things in life than this great game. But I still want to be a part of it. I want to play and I'm working towards it."
 
Muzzin won't play on Saturday, but he is coming on the team's four-game trip. Another practice is scheduled for Sunday in Tampa where the Leafs will face the Lightning on Monday. 
 
How close does Muzzin feel to playing?
 
"We're getting there," he said. 

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Ilya Lyubushkin left Tuesday's game in Boston after getting hit in the head by Bruins winger Taylor Hall. The defenceman practised on Friday and is expected to play in Philadelphia.  
 
"I feel pretty good," Lyubushkin said. "The first day it happened I felt sore in my neck a little bit, sore head, headache ... When I watch [the] replay, it looks like not a heavy punch but, like, serious guys, I feel it. I'm not a guy who lies down on the ice. If I feel the pain, you feel the pain."
 
Hall was fined $5,000, the maximum allowable, for roughing. 
 
Lyubushkin skated alongside Morgan Rielly at practice, which allowed T.J. Brodie to reunite with Justin Holl on the second pair while Mark Giordano slid back to the third pair with Timothy Liljegren. 
 
"We have liked the way those pairings have gone for us," Keefe said. "We do, with Giordano's arrival, want to get a feel for different things to be prepared for whatever might come our way in the playoffs or down the stretch. We have to make sure we continue to monitor that. We are running out of games here. We are having daily discussions on it. Muzzin's return is going to force us to change some things just like Lyubushkin being out changed some things. Some of that will happen naturally. We do want to get some looks at some different combinations as we get going here, but for tomorrow, I think we will settle back into what we had."
 
Lyubushkin is settling into Toronto nicely following a Feb. 20 trade from Arizona. Friday was only his second media session since he joined the Leafs. 
 
"Different fans, different media, like, it's different world for me now," he said. 
 
Lyubushkin, 27, noted that Toronto's big population and winter weather reminds him of his hometown of Moscow. 
 
Lyubushkin's idol growing up was Karel Rachunek, who he watched play defence in the KHL for Moscow Dynamo. Rachunek died in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash and Lyubushkin always keeps a No. 4 as part of his sweater number as a tribute. After being assigned No. 26 for his first game with the Leafs, he switched to 46. 

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Nick Abruzzese took part in his first full practice with the Leafs on Friday. The 22-year-old will make his NHL debut on Saturday. Luckily, the Harvard product is a quick study. 
 
"Very smart player," said Keefe. "When I watched him on video and when I got all the reports, that is the biggest thing that stands out: his ability to process the game. In any of my discussions with him, whether it is doing video or just having a conversation, with some of the questions that he asks, he is just a smart player who I think is going to be able to adjust to that part of the game quickly."
 
Abruzzese produced 33 points in 28 games this season and also represented the United States at the Olympics where he played alongside fellow Leafs prospect Matthew Knies, who is now preparing for the Frozen Four at the University of Minnesota. 
 
"I don't think I've seen a smarter player," Knies told TSN. "He's got a ton of skill. He plays the game maturely. He's always in the right spots and plays bigger than he is. Works his tail off. He's a wonderful player to play with and I was happy to get to know him there."
 
Abruzzese skated on the fourth line at practice alongside fellow Harvard alumnus Colin Blackwell and ex-Flyer Wayne Simmonds. He also took reps with the second power-play unit.
 
"I watched a lot of him playing in the Olympics," said Keefe. "I was particularly focused on the game against Canada, which was essentially made up of players I know very well, whether I coached against them in the NHL or AHL, and are all top players at the AHL level, certainly. Seeing him compete and play the game at that level gives me confidence that he is going to be able to adapt quickly to a more challenging level in the NHL."
 
Jason Spezza and Kyle Clifford are projected to be healthy scratches on Saturday. 

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When Auston Matthews entered the dressing room after scoring his 50th goal and being named the first star on Thursday night, teammates cheered loudly and doused him with water. 
 
"Lit," is how Matthews described the reaction. "I was pretty soaked ... It's pretty cool. This group is so close."
 
"We're all fired up for him," said William Nylander. "He got a little shower." 
 
Matthews became just the fourth player in franchise history to score 50 goals in a season joining Rick Vaive, Dave Andreychuk and Gary Leeman. It was a special night even for a guy like Nylander, who grew up around the game while his dad, Michael Nylander, played in the NHL, including in Washington alongside Alex Ovechkin. 
 
"It was pretty unreal," said Nylander. "It actually reminded me of when I was younger and my dad was playing in Washington and Ovi scored 50 one night when I was there. It was the night he did the [stick-too-hot] celebration. It brought back some memories. It was just incredible and well deserved." 
 
Giordano was grateful that his first goal as a Leaf came on the same night that Matthews made some magic. The former Calgary Flames captain flashed back to the 2007-08 season when Jarome Iginla hit 50 right on the number. 
 
"I've been around Jarome scoring 50 and it's pretty cool when they do, when they hit those milestones," the 38-year-old said. "But, I mean, I don't think I've seen a guy dominate at both ends of the rink like I've seen in my first week and a half here ... His shot, his release, I mean, it's pretty impressive. I've been more impressed, honestly, watching him play defensively since I got here. It's unreal the way he backchecks and plays in his own end."
 
Matthews has been remarkably focused during this entire season. If possible, it seemed like his teammates were more excited than he was on Thursday night. 
 
Asked about his legacy among the franchise greats, Matthews remained grounded in the present. 
 
"Right now I have a job to do, and it's not finished yet," he said.

 
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Saturday will mark two weeks since Ondrej Kase left a game in Nashville after taking an elbow to the head. 
 
"There is no timeline attached to that," said Keefe. "He is just continuing to increase his activity and things like that. He hasn't been on the ice."
 
Rasmus Sandin is out long-term with a knee injury, which was also sustained in Nashville, and there's also no specific timeline for the defenceman's return. 
 
"He is still week-to-week," Keefe said. 
 
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Lines at Friday's practice:
 
Bunting - Matthews - Marner 
Mikheyev - Tavares - Spezza 
Nylander - Kampf - Engvall 
Abruzzese - Blackwell - Simmonds 
Clifford 
 
Rielly - Lyubushkin 
Brodie - Holl 
Giordano - Liljegren 
Muzzin, Dahlstrom 
Hollowell 
 
Campbell 
Kallgren
Hutchinson 
 
Power-play units at Friday's practice:
 
QB: Rielly
Flanks: Matthews, Marner 
Bumper/net front: Nylander, Tavares rotate
 
QB: Giordano 
Flanks: Abruzzese, Liljegren 
Bumper: Mikheyev 
Net front: Bunting