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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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The Maple Leafs and New York Rangers held optional skates at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday morning. 

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In his first five seasons, Auston Matthews led the National Hockey League with 152 even-strength goals in 334 games (0.46 per game). So far this season, the centre has just three even-strength goals in 14 games (0.21 per game).

"Crossbars and posts seem to be getting in his way a little bit," coach Sheldon Keefe said. "The chance generation has been there. He's generating lots of shots. I'm not concerned about it. Teams are going to continue to give him those types of looks or he's going to find ways to generate those looks himself ... and those are going to go in and going to go in a lot." 

Matthews has fired 41 shots on net in five-on-five play (2.9 per game). Last season, he led the NHL with 159 shots in five-on-five play (3.1). So, he's basically on pace there. And Matthews is actually averaging more scoring chances in five-on-five play this season (4.7 per game) versus last season (3.85), per NaturalStatTrick.com. 

"Auston scoring is at the bottom of our list of worries," said veteran forward Jason Spezza with a chuckle. "He's a guy who's going to find a way to produce all the time. Games that he doesn't score, he's very dangerous. He's a guy who takes his craft very seriously and, like I said, he’s the least of our concerns. He's a guy who's going to score and going to score in bunches." 

Matthews missed the first three games of the season while recovering from left wrist surgery. He admitted that his shot wasn't quite where he wanted it to be early on. Lately, though, Matthews appears to be finding his range. He scored on the power play in Tuesday's game against the Nashville Predators with a classic wrist shot. And he easily could've had a couple at even strength. 

Matthews hasn't scored in consecutive games this season, but the sense around the Leafs is he's about to go streaking. Matthews has converted on 11.7 per cent of his shots this season. His career average is 16 per cent. 

"Auston's found a real nice level of consistency in his game here on both sides of the puck," Keefe observed. "Last season, he was a dominant defensive player. We tend to forget about that ... you lose sight of the fact he was a dominant defensive player for us, and we think that helps the offensive side for him as well."

Matthews (plus-2) is one of only two Leafs forwards with a plus rating this season. Alex Kerfoot (plus-6) is the other.

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Matthews fired eight shots on Igor Shesterkin in his first game of the season on Oct. 18 but couldn't beat the New York Rangers goalie. Shesterkin stopped 40 shots in total that night en route to a 2-1 overtime win. 

"Really athletic guy, but what separates him and why he's showing he's one of the top guys is the way he reads the play," said Spezza. "You can tell he thinks the game well because he's beating passes to posts and stuff like that."

Shesterkin has faced more than 30 shots in each of his last eight starts. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, that's the longest such streak by any goaltender since the start of last season. He is 5-2-1 with a .919 save percentage in that stretch. 

"He plays the puck really well, so that's nice as a defenceman," said Jacob Trouba. "He's never out of a save. Even if it's a backdoor pass, you think, 'Oh no,' but sometimes he gets there. So, you always have hope he'll make the save."  

The Rangers have been playing better in front of Shesterkin of late. They arrive in Toronto riding a four-game win streak. 

"I expect us to play a lot better tonight than last time in here," said coach Gerard Gallant. "We're playing a better defensive game, managing the puck a lot better and not turning the puck over in the neutral zone."

"We've simplified a lot," explained Trouba. "Not as many high-risk plays. Not as much up and down the ice. It's more establishing an offensive-zone presence in a shift and trying to build off that. When we get a D-zone shift, we play strong D zone. There's less transition and more zone play." 

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Shesterkin has been excellent this season with a .930 save percentage. Jack Campbell has been even better. He leads the league with a .943 save percentage. 

"He's just getting better and better," raved defenceman Rasmus Sandin. "Sometimes [it's] hard to think he's going to get better, because he's playing on top of the world right now. So, he's been unreal. He's that guy that always wants to get better too."

Campbell will play his 15th game of the season tonight, which will move him past Montreal's Jake Allen and into sole possession of the league lead in that category. The Leafs are doing what they can to manage his workload while Petr Mrazek recovers from a groin injury. 

"Sometimes the team in the games can help his workload," Keefe pointed out. "I look at the game against Nashville the other night, we go into the third period and we're protecting a one-goal lead and we gave up three shots in the first 17 minutes of the third. Those kind of things go a long way in helping with that workload."

Campbell, for his part, says he loves playing every other day and it's certainly hard to argue with the results.  

"He's managed it very well," said Keefe. "He's become very comfortable with his body and [what] he needs to manage it. The medical team, now that he's been here, last season was his last full season with us, they have a real good handle on him.

"In terms of energy levels, he's in a really good place."

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At the end of Monday's practice, Campbell brought a trophy, made by goalie coach Steve Briere, onto the ice and planted it at the centre dot. 

"I've never seen that before, to be honest, so I was a little surprised," Sandin said. "I didn't even know what it was for. No one really told us. I just saw it standing on the ice there for no reason. It was pretty funny."

Campbell later explained that it was meant to help create more competition during the breakaway and shootout work. Sandin won Monday's competition but didn't collect his hardware. 

"If I knew what the trophy was for, I probably would've," he said with a laugh.

Sandin has plenty of other reasons to feel good right now. He's played in 16 of Toronto's 17 games and, despite sitting as a healthy scratch on Saturday, seems to have carved out a secure role. 

"He's consistently moved the puck very efficiently coming out of our zone and helps us on the offensive blueline," said Keefe. "And the fact he helps us on the second-unit power play, that helps his cause for sure." 

What does Sandin like about his game so far? 

"My consistency in playing without the puck," the 21-year-old said, "reading off their players, how to box them out, how to be a little bit hard on the puck and just playing on the right side of the puck more and trying to keep it simple. That's the biggest step I've taken this season."

Keefe explained that the team wants to monitor his workload because he didn't play much last season (nine regular season games with the Leafs and one with the Marlies in the American Hockey League) and has battled the injury bug early in his career. Sandin, for his part, says the grind isn't getting to him. 

"Every game you come in and get more comfortable," the Swede explained. "You know how to read some plays that you didn't know before and how to handle bigger guys. I'm maybe not the biggest or strongest guy on the ice so I have to handle some situations different than maybe Jake Muzzin has to. I'm starting to learn."  

Sandin is fourth on the team in hits and would love to land one on Rangers defenceman Nils Lundkvist tonight. The pair played together at a couple World Juniors. 

"He was my D partner for a couple tournaments," Sandin said before breaking into a smile. "Now he's on the other side, so has to keep his head up a little bit."

"I say the same thing to him," Lundqvist said with a laugh when informed of the comment. "He's a really good guy. He's a leader on the teams I've been on. Easy to be around. Kind. Unreal player." 

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The Leafs have won nine of 10 games and Kerfoot is second on the team with nine even-strength points in that stretch. 

"He's made some big plays for us very quietly," noted Keefe. "Think about some of the big goals we've scored here in the last little stretch. Whether it's an insurance goal in Philadelphia, the game-winning goal in Buffalo, the game-tying goal against Calgary, those are all coming off the stick of Kerf. He's making a seam pass and setting up those plays. The other night he's involved in the forecheck on the [David] Kampf goal. He's finding ways to contribute consistently at five-on-five, and he's been a huge part of our penalty killing that's been rolling. He's doing a lot of little things really well."

Kerfoot had just two points in the first seven games of the season. What's changed? 

"I feel confident out there," Kerfoot explained. "Confidence is big in this game. It's important when you're out there that you're able to feel like you can make plays."

Kerfoot has fit in well on a line with John Tavares of late. The Vancouver native said his experience playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado helped him learn how to complement elite talent. 

"At times you can be so focused on trying to get them the puck that you can change your game a little bit," Kerfoot said. "I noticed that the first couple years in Colorado and playing with Nate a bit. You want to get them the puck, because they're usually going to make good plays with it but, at the same time, you have to make the right decision. At the end of the day, I can't adapt my game depending on who I'm playing with and that's my main focus." 

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After blocking a shot late in Tuesday's game, Ondrej Kase missed practice yesterday. The Czech winger, who's riding a four game point streak, was back on the ice this morning at Toronto's optional skate. Keefe said that was a positive development, but Kase is still listed as a game-time decision. 

Kirill Semyonov will take the warm-up and be on standby in case Kase can't suit up. 

Projected Leafs lines for Thursday’s game: 

Ritchie - Matthews - Marner 
Kerfoot - Tavares - Nylander 
Engvall - Kampf - Kase
Bunting - Spezza - Simmonds 

Rielly - Brodie 
Muzzin - Holl 
Sandin - Dermott 

Campbell starts 
Woll