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SPORTSCENTRE Reporter

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The Maple Leafs held an optional skate on Thursday morning. The Canucks held a full skate.

Vancouver's Quinn Hughes leads all NHL defencemen in scoring with 14 points, but he has also been on the ice for more five-on-five goals against (17) than any other player. 

"Last year, I think I was really good defensively, and in the playoffs I was really good defensively against Vegas," the 21-year-old said. "I'm starting to get back to that mindset where I'm working with coaches about really bearing down on the defensive side ... I'm not too worried. I think it'll figure itself out and just got to keep working hard at it."

"With smart players, they figure a lot of things out in time," said Canucks coach Travis Green. "The defensive side of the game you can teach and learn little nuances that can help you – probably more so than the offensive side of the game with a player like Quinn ... Part of it is showing him [video], part of it is just him learning in the league and getting better at it, quite frankly, and also being committed to it."

There’s no doubt Hughes is committed. He grew up idolizing Chicago's Duncan Keith and aspires to be the same two-way force. 

"I don't want to be known as just an offensive guy and I don't think I will be," Hughes vowed. "A guy like Keith is someone I really respected growing up because he played both ways and that's where my mindset is [and] where I want to be, and it's not going to happen overnight."

Hughes, who produced three assists in Tuesday's 5-3 loss in Montreal, is already logging big minutes in his second National Hockey League campaign. He averages 22 minutes and 40 seconds per night, which leads the Canucks. 

Hughes needed some maintenance days earlier this season, but downplayed any concerns about his health. 

"I've been working with the staff and they've been doing a great job with me and I can't say I don't feel good right now. I feel 100 per cent, so that's exciting and I’m ready to play tonight and happy with how I feel."

Hughes will face some hard minutes tonight against a rested Leafs team full of offensive firepower. Auston Matthews is heating up, with a goal in each of his past five games.

"I haven't thought too much about him because the biggest thing is trying to worry about myself and getting my mind in a good spot," Hughes said.

"He's a special player," Matthews said of Hughes. "He makes a lot happen. Extremely deceptive. Great skater. He might not be the biggest guy [5-foot-10], but he's not easy to hit. He's a guy you got to be aware of when he’s out there. He makes a lot happen for that team at both ends of the ice."

Matthews scored in both games against the Canucks last season while Hughes was held off the scoresheet and finished with a minus-5 rating. 

"He's so skilled," Hughes observed of his fellow American. "He's so silky and same with [Mitch] Marner. So, for me, just try and box those guys out and get their sticks and keep them on the outside."

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Matthews and Marner were able to get to the inside a couple times against the Oilers on Saturday, including on a nice give-and-go goal. 

"There was some really great sequences," noted Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe. "Auston and Mitch really working in the offensive zone in particular, and Zach [Hyman] obviously has a role to play on that line, but I thought those other two were really moving well with and without the puck and making it hard on the opposition."

After a four-day break between games, Keefe is hoping to see more of that from the rest of the team. 

"We need to get from our zone to the offensive zone a lot quicker, a lot more efficiently with a lot more speed and purpose. If we do that there’s going to be a lot more opportunities for our best players to do what they do," the coach said.

"We should be a re-energized group," said Matthews. "We should have some good legs. We definitely want to focus on getting off to a good start having not played in four days. We had a couple good days in practice and the start tonight will be really key for us."

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Nic Petan will make his season debut with the Leafs Thursday, becoming the 18th forward to play in a game for the team this year. 

"There will come a time where we have to settle on the people that we think are our absolute best lineup each day," said Keefe. “We don’t think we’re quite there yet, but we're inching closer towards that and we're just going to continue to watch."

Jake Virtanen draws in for the Canucks, replacing Zack MacEwen. 

"I just want to see a lot of energy in his game," said Green. "When he's playing well you notice his speed. When he's playing well you notice him around the puck, he’s heavier on the puck and he's got to have an element of physicality that comes with that speed."

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The Canucks don't look great in the standings with a 6-7-0 record, but four of their losses came against the first-place Canadiens. 

"They're a team that's searching for some consistency, but from what we've seen from their games of late, they're playing good hockey," said Keefe. "They've had a tough schedule facing Montreal five times ... It’s a group that I watched closely through last season’s playoffs and there’s so many returning players that you know you're going to be in for a game every time you're up against them.

Still, the uneven start has been tough for Vancouver's players to digest. 

"Yeah, honestly, it has been," Hughes admitted. "I want to win. My teammates want to win. The coaching staff wants to win. Coming in, we obviously have high standards for ourselves ... We've played Montreal five times and they're off to a hot start and playing really good right now."

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Projected Leafs lines for Thursday’s game: 

Hyman - Matthews - Marner 
Nylander - Tavares - Simmonds
Vesey - Kerfoot - Mikheyev 
Petan - Boyd - Spezza

Rielly - Brodie 
Muzzin - Holl
Dermott - Bogosian

Andersen starts 
Hutchinson 

Lines at Canucks skate on Thursday: 

Miller - Horvat - Boeser
Pearson - Pettersson - Hoglander
Roussel - Sutter -  Gaudette
Motte - Beagle - Virtanen 

Hughes - Benn
Schmidt - Myers
Edler - Chatfield

Demko starts 
Holtby