TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Maple Leafs practiced in Toronto on Saturday ahead of tonight's game agaisnt Vancouver.

  • With his team mired in a seven-game skid, Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins was asked if he feels like he's on the hot seat. "I think when losses pile up everybody gets on the hot seat. I think that's a common thing for the league and it's a fair thing, especially when you're not scoring," he said. "We got to find ways to score. We know that. If we get some (goals) I think we'll get a little bit more life and it can change things." The 59-year-old, who is in his third season behind Vancouver's bench, admits these have been trying times. "Yeah, it's frustrating. The good thing is we've been in every game. All the games, the last four minutes we're usually within one goal, but it's a matter of staying with it and believing. I believe in our players. I do. I like our players. I like our character and that gives you hope and thinking that things will turn."
  • The Canucks have failed to score in four of their last five games, but Desjardins insists they are playing the right way and generating plenty of chances. And Mike Babcock agrees. "You might find this hard to believe, but I didn't know they lost seven straight," the Leafs coach said. "What I do know is they had 64 attempts one game and 74 the other game so that's how we get ready, we try to prepare for what they're doing. Sometimes when you don't score everyone thinks you're playing way worse than you are. I thought they had multiple, multiple opportunities in their last two games so that's the team we're going to get ready for."
  • William Nylander has had this game circled on his calendar since the schedule came out. The 20-year-old will be getting a chance to play against Henrik and Daniel Sedin for the first time in his young NHL career. "Every time you play a great Swedish player you're a little more excited for sure," he said with a big grin. Nylander was in the arena in Stockholm three years ago when the Sedins led Sweden to a world championship. "They were lots of fun to watch. It was amazing to watch them play, you just see the way they dominate in the O-zone. I remember the city going crazy (after the gold-medal win)." But can Nylander tell Henrik and Daniel apart when they're not wearing their jersey numbers? "Probably not," he said sheepishly.
  • Nylander probably won't be on the ice too much against Vancouver's top line as the shutdown duties have fallen to the Nazem Kadri line and the Morgan Rielly pairing this season. Rielly leads the team in ice time (22:51 per game) and has produced five assists despite not having a significant role on the man advantage. Rielly has committed some costly turnovers, but his possession numbers remain strong (53.41% Corsi For). And his coach is definitely satisfied with what he's seeing from the 22-year-old. "I think he's playing good," Babcock noted. "Obviously, he gets the toughest match-ups each night. I think a lot people would like him to race around more and play on the power play, (but) what we'd like him to do is be the match-up guy, make sure the other team doesn't score when he's on the ice and lead our team and that's what we're trying to get him to do and that's what he's doing." Rielly didn't say much when asked to assess his own play. "I'm focused, mostly, on what the team's doing and I'm doing everything I can to help the team whether that's match-ups or trying to create offence so there's lots of room to improve," he said. After being paired with Martin Marincin and then briefly with Connor Carrick, Rielly seems to have found chemistry with Nikita Zaitsev. "We match-up well together ... Moving forward, we want to play together."
  • Desjardins is among those very impressed with what Toronto's rookie forwards have been able to accomplish early in their careers. "These guys, they play with so much confidence, you forget they're young players with the way they play," the Canucks bench boss said. "I don't know if they're not worried about making mistakes, but they have confidence in their game and they take some chances."
  • Vancouver is hoping some of their young players may help spark a change in fortune. Troy Stecher was recalled from the AHL yesterday and will be in the lineup tonight. He impressed Desjardins in his three previous games this season. "He's been real confident. He surprised me a little bit. He went and played well against Edmonton and that was a team with lots of speed and a tough lineup, but he handled it well. I think the biggest thing I liked was his confidence and just his work ethic. He keeps it simple and he just plays hard." This will be Stecher's first road game in the NHL and his mom is flying in from B.C. to be in the crowd. What did Stecher learn from his first call-up? "Just how committed guys are in this league to do the little things. Coming from college (where) I may have had some more time to dipsy doodle or maybe put in a fake on a shot or something, here you kind of have to get things off quick. I think I progressed throughout the three games and adapted to that." During the optional skate, Stecher was paired with Russian rookie Nikita Tryamkin, who isn't fluent in English. "We obviously need to discuss that before the game and find some chemistry just verbally with what terms we're going to use," Stecher noted. "With the big guy back there, it may be an opportunity for me to jump up a bit more and use my feet." Alex Edler skated this morning and remains day to day.
  • Babcock was coy when asked when Matt Hunwick, who has missed the last five games with a lower-body injury, will be ready to return. "Don't know for sure. I asked the trainer and the doctor the same thing today."

Lines at Leafs skate:

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander
van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner
Komarov-Kadri-Brown
Martin-Smith-Soshnikov
Extra: Griffith

Rielly-Zaitsev
Marincin-Carrick
Gardiner-Polak
Extras: Holland-Corrado

Andersen starts  
Enroth

Power play units at Leafs skate:

Gardiner
Matthews-Kadri-Nylander
Komarov

Carrick
Zaitsev-Bozak-Marner
JVR