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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

Welcome to the Neno's Place!

Neno's Place Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality


Neno

I can be reached by phone or text 8am-7pm cst 972-768-9772 or, once joining the board I can be reached by a (PM) Private Message.

Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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Established in 2006 as a Community of Reality

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    Toronto Maple Leafs, assailed by injuries, will lean on Auston Matthews in final push before holiday

    jedi17
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    • Post n°1

    Toronto Maple Leafs, assailed by injuries, will lean on Auston Matthews in final push before holiday Empty Toronto Maple Leafs, assailed by injuries, will lean on Auston Matthews in final push before holiday

    Post by jedi17 Wed 21 Dec 2016, 6:50 pm

    Toronto Maple Leafs, assailed by injuries, will lean on Auston Matthews in final push before holiday break

    Mike Babcock is no Santa Claus, but if he’s checking his list to see which Maple Leafs have been naughty or nice, he doesn’t have to pause when he comes to the name of Auston Matthews.
    With the Christmas break two road games away — the Leafs will take on the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday before meeting the Arizona Coyotes on Friday — Matthews is developing into the kind of centre Babcock figured he would be at this point in his rookie season.
    There’s a comfort level for Babcock, now, when the player in question was the first pick overall last June and is the favourite to be the next captain of the Leafs. Babcock is confident Matthews can have an impact no matter who lines up in the opposing sweater. On Monday night, it was big Anaheim Ducks centre Ryan Getzlaf. Matthews didn’t exactly wilt, registering a personal-high eight shots on goal in the Leafs’ 3-2 loss.
    The important minutes likely won’t wane for Matthews, as veteran centre Tyler Bozak, as well as centre Ben Smith, did not practice on Tuesday and were not probable to make the trip because of injuries.

    In mid-November, Babcock said the expectation was Matthews could be a dominant centre for the Leafs by Christmas.


    “He has really got a lot better in his own end,” Babcock said of Matthews after practice at the MasterCard Centre.
    “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 is pretty comfortable understanding that now. It’s just the face-offs that are the only thing (of concern) right now.”
    The constant comparison to Matthews from the outside will always be to Winnipeg Jets winger Patrik Laine, whose name was called at the draft immediately after Matthews was summoned to the stage by the Leafs. Laine has a five-point lead over Matthews in the rookie scoring race (29-24) heading into the Jets’ game on Tuesday night versus Vancouver.

    What Laine, who has 18 goals to Matthews’ 15, has been doing for the Jets doesn’t give the Leafs much pause for thought. Nor should it.
    Matthews continues to generate scoring chances; he is fifth in the NHL with 115 shots on goal. Among rookies, Laine is second with 91.
    Marner, Matthews unlikely to be a common pair
    As much as it was tantalizing for fans to see Mitch Marner get some shifts with Auston Matthews on Monday, it’s not going to be commonplace.
    Why won’t Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock have the Leafs’ first-round picks from the past two years play on the same line with regularity?
    “I don’t like Marner there as much just because I think Marner can drive a line by himself,” Babcock said.
    Hard to argue. On many nights, Marner has been the catalyst on a line with veterans James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak.
    Matthews and Zach Hyman will continue to play together. William Nylander has had a look on the line, and Connor Brown has been solid on the right side. But Hyman’s role is crucial.
    “He is a dominant forechecker, a dominant cycle player,” Babcock said. “The game has slowed down for Auston and Mitch already. They are different. As it slows down, (Hyman) will score more. He’s just too good a player not to.”
    — Terry Koshan
    As much as Babcock is liking what he is seeing from Matthews, there’s no denying the going will be a little more tough with Bozak, especially, and Smith out. Bozak is among the top 10 face-off men in the NHL, winning 57.8% of the draws he takes. Smith is 24th at 53.1%.
    When asked if the pair would be out through Christmas, Babcock shrugged.
    “I don’t know the answer 100%,” Babcock said. “I assume they are because they did not practice. We will know more (on Wednesday). I don’t even know if they are coming on the trip. I didn’t ask. I didn’t have the courage to ask.”
    The Leafs were scheduled to travel to Denver on Wednesday morning and then practice in the Mile-High City that afternoon. On Tuesday, the Leafs recalled goaltender Antoine Bibeau from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League and loaned Jhonas Enroth to the Marlies.
    Babcock indicated Bibeau would start in one of the two games, but did not specify which one.
    Morgan Rielly did not practice on Tuesday, but Babcock said the defenceman was “fine.”
    As impressive as Matthews has been, the 19-year-old isn’t getting by on talent alone. Never mind that Matthews again was one of the last Leafs to leave the ice on Tuesday after practice. One-on-one sit-downs with Babcock have been instrumental in his growth.
    “He does a good job with individual meetings,” Matthews said. “I feel my development has gone pretty well. I feel great on the ice. I think that’s a pretty positive thing heading into Christmas.

    “I feel comfortable going up against anybody. I go out there and play my game no matter who it’s up against.”
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