TSN Maple Leafs reporter Kristen Shilton checks in with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Maple Leafs held a practice at MasterCard Centre on Tuesday.

- In early November, head coach Mike Babcock said he expected Auston Matthews would be a dominant centre by Christmas. Since coming out of his 13-game goal drought, Matthews has put all facets of his game together and looked the part of a top pivot. Matthews tallied his team-leading 15th goal of the season Monday night and also leads the club with 24 points. Babcock’s declaration in the press was something he had spoken about with the rookie as well. “We talk throughout the season. He does a pretty good job of individual meetings with guys, one-on-one video stuff, so it’s kind of a conversation we’ve had,” Matthews said. “I feel great out there on the ice, I feel comfortable playing against any line. I think that’s a pretty positive thing heading into Christmas here.” If there’s one area Matthews (and the rest of the Maple Leafs) need to improve, it’s on faceoffs. The team was manhandled by the Anaheim Ducks in the dot on Monday, winning only 33 percent of draws. “He’s really gotten a lot better in his own end,” Babcock said. “He knows what’s going on. He gets the puck way more than he used to because he knows how to play and I think he’s way more comfortable understanding that now. It usually takes you a little bit of time in the faceoff circle.”

- Another swirling topic around Matthews after Monday’s game is who the best wingers are for him. He’s had Zach Hyman on his left throughout the season, but Connor Brown and William Nylander have rotated on the right. Mitch Marner saw some time there as well against the Ducks. Matthews and Hyman both said they have no preference about who rounds out their line; they have confidence in everyone’s ability to contribute. For Babcock, deciding who goes where is bigger than just one guy. “It’s not just ideal for Matthews, it’s what’s ideal for our team,” he said. “It’s about the Leafs and finding ways to win so we need more than one line. Just because it works good for him doesn’t mean it works good for us. Brown’s played well with him. Nylander’s had some real good time there as well. I don’t like Marner there as much just because I think Marner can drive a line by himself.” Matthews has played almost exclusively in 5-on-5 with rookies this season, and said having other young players around to lean on has helped them all tackle the league’s learning curve. Babcock just wants Matthews out there with competitive players. “Auston likes to shoot the puck as you can see and he likes people who can get it him,” he said. “If you have one guy at the net who can draw a defenceman, there’s more space for him. [Good players] want players who can the puck. They don’t want three guys on a line who want the puck. They want guys who get them the puck and then get open.”

- Hyman has earned praise from Babcock all season, but he took an ill-advised penalty late in Monday’s game that ultimately gave Anaheim the game-winner on the power play. The rookie was hard on himself after the loss over the roughing penalty – a retaliatory punch to Josh Manson’s head – and that didn’t surprise his coach. “I talked to him about it. He’s hard on himself because he expects a lot,” Babcock said. “We count on him. He’s a big part of our team and he can’t take that penalty.” As for how Hyman has adjusted to the NHL in his first full season, Babcock said he’s starting to see more of what made Hyman such a special player at the University of Michigan. “He made all the plays he starting to make now,” Babcock said of Hyman in college. “Last year, his first year pro, you didn’t see the things I saw at college. He’s a rookie; it’s going to take time. He’s a dominate fore-checker, a dominant cycle player. The chances he got [Monday] as he relaxes and settled down, the game slows down for him. He’s different than Auston, the game slowed down for Auston or Mitch already. It’s a different type of thing. As the game slows down he’ll score more, he’s just too good a player not to.”

- Frederik Gauthier and Josh Leivo both saw their first action of the NHL season in Monday’s loss, and there were ups and downs for both. Gauthier was filling in for the injured Ben Smith and lost the key defensive zone faceoff that led to the game-winner. The 6-foot-5 centre had been injured and not playing much in the American Hockey League before getting called up, but Babcock was still satisfied overall. “When you get injuries…we’re not deep in that [centre] position anyway, and so I thought Gauthier did a good job for us. In the end you remember that faceoff you lost where they shoot it under the bar. You remember it.” Leivo also earned a positive review, but Babcock cautioned he has to make the most of his scoring opportunities. “He beat the goalie twice, missed the net on both of them,” he said. “He’ll figure out over time if you hit the net you get a second chance that’s how you score.”

- Toronto is getting set for another swing out west, playing back-to-back games in Colorado and Arizona. The team recalled Antoine Bibeau from the AHL on Tuesday and sent Jhonas Enroth back. Bibeau will start ether Thursday or Friday. Of his two injured centres – Tyler Bozak and Smith – Babcock joked he was “too afraid to ask” the doctors if they’d be accompanying the team. While on paper the Avalanche and Coyotes don’t look like formidable opponents, Toronto has lost to both of them in the last week. This is the start of a critical stretch for the Maple Leafs to gain ground in the playoff hunt after losing four of their last five.