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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO – Zach Hyman has long been the Maple Leafs’ jack of all trades, trusted to perform as a top-line winger and prominent penalty killer.

So when the Leafs made major changes to their power-play units at Friday’s practice, promoting Hyman to the top unit after he’d barely skated with the man advantage all season, his teammates couldn’t resist having a little fun with the humble winger.

“You’re talking about the power play with Zach Hyman?” chirped Mitch Marner, as reporters crowded Hyman’s dressing room stall. “A Zach Hyman power play?”

That stirred a booming laugh from Frederik Gauthier, who added a little chime of his own. All Hyman could do was laugh and shrug.

“We’re just having fun,” Hyman said, slightly sheepish. “But it was good, I enjoyed [the power play time]. We’ll see.”

It’s been two months since the Leafs last had back-to-back practice days at home, but the schedule aligned to give them that chance on Thursday and Friday. After a full team session the day before, head coach Mike Babcock opted to focus on special teams Friday, with plenty of time available to test drive some new groups.

The Leafs’ old top power-play unit, which had been the same since training camp when all parties were healthy and available to play, was reassembled to include Morgan Rielly, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Andreas Johnsson and Hyman.

The second group, anchored by Jake Muzzin, also included John Tavares, Marner, Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau. Having just registered the first 20-goal season of his NHL career, Hyman is the only new face of the bunch, replacing a rotating crop of wingers in Tyler Ennis, Kasperi Kapanen and Trevor Moore who have all seen time on the power play. 

The decision to adjust could have easily been spurred by the team’s latest stretch of ineffectiveness with the man advantage.

Toronto hasn’t looked threatening with the extra man in a couple weeks, going 1-for-15 on the power play in their last five games. But the choice went deeper than just hunting for better numbers.

“We’re trying to do is make sure we have a good option, especially if things don’t work,” Babcock said. “Our power play has been pretty good. Obviously the harder we work on it, the more success it has. It’s just different options as we move ahead.”

Essentially, the Leafs are striving to be more multi-dimensional on special teams by the time the playoffs roll around in two weeks. Their power play has been particularly inconsistent this season, prone to long dormant stretches mixed with spans where they look nearly unstoppable.

On the season, Toronto sits eighth in the NHL with the extra man (22 per cent) but their tendency to struggle has encouraged Babcock to consider changes before. He said that didn’t happen until now because of certain personnel not always being available, but since the club is at almost full health, the timing was perfect to make alterations.

“[Practice today] gives us a good opportunity just focusing on power play and penalty kill to have a look at it with just a few games left,” Babcock said. “We’ll try it a few times for sure. That doesn’t mean we’re not going back the way we were, but we’re trying it for sure.”

With only five regular-season games left before likely facing Boston in the first round of the postseason, the players are welcoming a chance to find chemistry and hone skills that could make all the difference in a tight series.  

“The depth we have, they’re very potent units,” said Tavares. “Just try to work off one another and build some good habits, stick to what we do and find some good results. As we go further along here, when you see a team every other day [in the playoffs], you want to be unpredictable and find different ways to come at teams and make adjustments.”

Lately, the Leafs have looked lethargic and stale on the power play. Being in different situations with different players can help remind Toronto about the attention to detail that leads to success.

“When we’re going good, we’re getting a lot of second and third looks,” explained Tavares. “We obviously get the puck to the net and find those opportunities around there, but when they go in there and get blocked and they head to the corners and the walls, it’s a lot about the effort and the support to break some of that pressure, find a second and third opportunity to get set up and get another look and wear a penalty kill out.”

While the Leafs haven’t quite clinched a playoff spot yet – they can do that on Saturday with at least one point against Ottawa – it’s clear they’re headed for the second season. That’s when the effectiveness of all their fine-tuning and preparations will truly be judged.

“Let’s lay it all out there and see how good a hockey club we got,” Babcock said of the Leafs’ final regular-season run. “This is the measure here [coming up in playoffs]. In the meantime, we have these dress rehearsals here to prepare, we want to take full advantage of them.”