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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 Ford Performance Centre on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings. 

William Nylander was caught flat-footed on Philadelphia's third goal Saturday night as defenceman Travis Sanheim easily skated past him, getting a shot on Frederik Andersen and then potting the rebound to give the Flyers a lead. 

"I didn't think he was going to go down low," Nylander explained. "I was waiting for him to shoot and then he took a step wide and took it to the net."

Nylander insists the play, which occurred on the first shift of the third period, isn't as bad as it may have seemed. 

"You want to try and stop him, but I was caught off guard that he was going carry it all the way down to the goal line. I mean, I haven't played against him before so I don't know what kind of player he is, really. So, I mean, it's different if you’re playing against a guy like Erik Karlsson, you know, who might carry it down the wall and stuff like that."

Nylander actually did play the Flyers with Sanheim in the lineup a couple times last season and twice more the season before that.  

The Sanheim goal represented a tough moment in a night full of them for Toronto’s top line. Auston Matthews managed just one shot on net matching his lowest total of the season. 

Nylander ended up playing 19:43, but was bumped off the Matthews line for a couple shifts down the stretch. 

"I wasn't proud of my game," the 23-year-old admits, "but earlier I think I've been creating a lot of chances and dominating for the most part so just want to keep building off of that."

Before the season, Nylander said his plan was to be dominant and he stormed out of the gates with a five-game point streak. Since then, however, he has potted only one goal and registered just three assists in 10 games. ​

"I feel like it's coming," Nylander said. "Except for last game, I mean, I feel like I've been creating a lot and having a lot of chances to score goals so just got to keep staying on it and shooting the puck and it will go in."

Nylander's shooting percentage this season (8.3) is down slightly from his career average (9.7​). 

Asked specifically about Nylander, Mike Babcock chose to focus on the team as a whole. 

"We haven't been as good an offensive team here in the last five," the coach observed. "We haven't spent enough time in the offensive zone, we haven’t shot it and got it back enough, we haven't been heavy enough, we haven't tracked a team from behind. So, any way you look at it, every night is 50-50, because of that."

With John Tavares sidelined, the ​Matthews line has gotten the tough assignments. So, will the captain's return help free up some space? 

"Yeah, maybe," Nylander said before pausing. "I mean, we've been playing really well no matter who we’ve been playing against, I feel like, so just got to keep playing like that."

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Babcock decided to go straight to the source before his media session today. Instead of walking into the scrum of reporters he made a beeline for Tavares, who was at his stall doing an interview. 

What did Babcock talk to Tavares about? 

"What do you think?" the coach asked with a grin. "It was, 'Is he playing tomorrow or not?' And, basically, he's feeling good, he's still got to get cleared by the medical people. But, the bottom line, in the end you got to feel good enough to play. And so, it doesn't matter if you're medically cleared or not, you got to feel good enough to play and so that's what we were just discussing there just so I'd have an answer. (Smile) I have no answers."

Tavares made the trip to Philadelphia on the weekend hoping to play, but the decision was made to be cautious and allow the finger to get stronger. 

"Over the last couple days I made some more really good progress," Tavares said. "I still have to talk to the medical staff after today, but feeling pretty good and obviously would like to be in tomorrow. We'll cover our bases and hopefully that's the case."

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After missing Saturday's game for personal reasons, Jake Muzzin was back on the ice at practice skating in his usual spot opposite Tyson Barrie. Traded from the Los Angeles Kings in January, Muzzin will face his old team for the first time Tuesday night. 

"It will be different," he said. "I've never done that. It will be a little fun out there seeing some of the guys who I played with a long time."

Does he think old partner Drew Doughty will try and get under his skin? 

"Drew can't get under my skin," Muzzin said with a laugh. 

Muzzin suited up in 496 regular season games for Los Angeles over eight seasons, winning a Stanley Cup in 2014 and serving as a black ace during the 2012 championship run. 

"We still go back there in the summer," said Muzzin. "We see a lot of the faces, a lot of guys are there throughout the summer as well. We were fortunate enough to sign there early in my career and have a good career there. A lot of good memories, a lot of good friendships and, for us, the South Bay is home. A lot of good stuff coming out of L.A." 

Muzzin sustained a charley horse on Tuesday courtesy a big collision with Tom Wilson. What did he think of the hit? 

"It's just a part of hockey," is all Muzzin would say.

Muzzin thinks he'll probably need to wear some sort of added protection for tomorrow's game. 

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Saturday's 11-round shootout was the longest in Leafs history and led to some unlikely shooters, including defencemen Morgan Rielly and Tyson Barrie. 

"All the D-men were kind of looking at each other like, 'Ah, we might be going here,'" said a smiling Justin Holl. "At the beginning you're like, 'OK, my game's over, whatever,' and then as it progresses you're like, 'Uh oh, I might have to get ready to go here.'"

Would Muzzin be comfortable going in a shootout?

"No," he said quickly. "Hard no."

"Some of the guys were getting nervous," Kasperi Kapanen said post-game on Saturday. "I was looking at Goat and he wasn't smiling any more. And Hollsy wasn't looking too excited either."

The Goat is fourth liner Frederik Gauthier, who has eight goals in 122 career NHL games. 

"Not nervous," Gauthier insisted with a wide grin. "I think it would have been nice to get a chance. If I got a chance I'd be excited to go."

"I was sweating a little bit," Holl said, "but I think it was more I was just nervous about what was going on in the shootout. It’s tougher when you're on the bench and you don't have any control over it. But, yeah, I had something up my sleeve. I don’t know if it would’ve worked, but I had it."

Gauthier hasn't had a shootout attempt since his time with Rimouski. 

"I did one in junior and it was a disaster," he said with a laugh. "It wasn’t great. If I get another chance I'll hopefully do better."

Did Gauthier have a move in mind on Saturday? 

"Not really, just go with it, I guess, maybe shoot it probably," he mused. "That's what I'd go with depending on the goalie’s position. Yeah, probably shoot it."

With expectations so low, the pressure would be off for the depth players even with the game hanging in the balance. 

"If 16 other guys have already missed or whatever, if I miss it’s not the biggest deal," said Holl, who is quick to point out he scored on his only shootout attempt in the ECHL. 

"I'd be excited to see everyone go," said Holl, who scored in his first two NHL games, but hasn't bulged the twine in the 24 since. "I think the other coach should pick the players that go from your team. I think that should happen. It'd be fun."  

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Andersen stole the show in the shootout, stopping 10 of 11 Flyers. 

"Fred stood on his head," Muzzin said. "I was watching and was like, 'Holy crap, can we get a goal here for the guy!' He was awesome."

"The thing I liked best about the game," Babcock said, "was that when the second goal went in, a power-play goal (by Claude Giroux), which I didn't like the goal, Freddie just said, 'Enough's enough, jump on my back boys, we're winning here tonight.' To me, that's what leadership's about, that's why you train, that's why you work, that's why you battle each day so you know you're capable and when the guys need your help, you give them your help. I thought that was the greatest thing about the game the other night." 

Earlier in his career, that sort of ending would've been unlikely as Andersen struggled in shootouts. Then a couple years ago he made a change, opting not to pre-scout shootout moves.  

"I like less information," Andersen told Andi Petrillo and Dave Poulin on TSN 1050's Leafs Lunch, "because I found that I have more trouble moving freely if I'm thinking too much what they're going to do. I just try to react to what they're doing ... my first year in Toronto we did a lot of video on shooters and it ended up going bad."

Andersen was 1-7 in shootouts with a .522 save percentage in his first season with the Leafs. Since then he's 7-4 with a .792 save percentage. 

Listen to the full interview with Andersen here

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Lines at Monday's practice: 

Forwards
Johnsson - Matthews - Nylander
Moore - Tavares - Marner
Mikheyev - Kerfoot - Kapanen
Timashov - Shore - Gauthier
Spezza, Hyman

Defencemen
Rielly - Ceci
Muzzin - Barrie
Dermott - Holl
Marincin 

Goaltenders
Andersen
Hutchinson

Power play units at Monday's practice: 

Rielly
Marner - Tavares - Matthews
Johnsson 

Barrie
Kerfoot - Timashov - Nylander
Spezza^

^ Likely placeholder for Mikheyev, who worked with the PK