Leafs prepare for final home game of 2017

As the Maple Leafs gathered for practice Monday, they knew an adjustment period was in order: with blueliner Nikita Zaitsev placed on injured reserve over the weekend - and D-man Martin Marincin recalled from the American League's Toronto Marlies to replace him - head coach Mike Babcock was re-jigging his defensive pairings to reflect the current reality. Meanwhile, centre Auston Matthews - who's missed the past four games and isn't guaranteed to play in the Buds' rare afternoon game Tuesday against Carolina at Air Canada Centre - skated on his own, but didn't practice with his teammates.

All in all, it was a bit of a tumultuous situation, but the modern-day NHL is all about sudden obstacles, injury adjustments and ever-changing realities. And yet the bottom line remains the same, as Babcock made clear when referring to his team seeking to end their current three-game losing streak.
"Obviously time to get refreshed physically and mentally, and then let's get to work here," Babcock told Leafs Nation Network Monday. "We've been in every game we've played here in the last three - we haven't found a way to win. We've been ahead, we've been behind, all scenarios - we've got to do a better job and find ways to get points."
One of the more notable changes fans will see Tuesday is blueliner Connor Carrick pairing up with Jake Gardiner - Zaitsev's normal defensive partner - in a move that reunites the two players who had a fair amount of time together in the 2016-17 campaign. Carrick last played against Carolina on Nov. 24, so he's welcoming the chance to return to the lineup and earning a permanent spot. And playing alongside the smooth and swift Gardiner is fine by him.
"I think we compliment each other," Carrick said. "We had some really good stretches of hockey last year. Hopefully tomorrow night I can bring out his strengths and vice-versa, and be a real good pair for us."
The Leafs and Hurricanes have split their two previous meetings this season, with Toronto earning the more recent victory by a 5-4 score in Carolina. But it's been more difficult for the Buds to produce offence of late: they scored a total of three goals in their current win streak, and in two of the three wins that preceded the three losses, the Leafs generated just two goals or fewer. That's a result of a tighter league on the defensive end, and that's something Babcock and his players have to wriggle out of and return to their early-season form as one of the NHL's best goal-producing clubs.
That said, it won't be easy.
"It's getting really sticky," Carrick said of the play around the league. "You saw certain clubs that were struggling just really clog it up and have success with it. If we can tire a group out in the 'O' zone so they're changing, then you're able to go in transition. Otherwise, you've got to be really simple through the neutral zone, not get bored or cute, and have speed off the puck so you can arrive first and not allow them to break out right away."
Matthews' presence would help in the offense department, but the 20-year-old centre is being afforded the care and concern every Leafs player receives when they're injured, and Toronto management isn't about to rush him back to the lineup. For now, the Leafs' depth players need to help regulars generate chances and finish them.
"Good players, when they go down, it's an opportunity for other players to step up and do that little extra," said veteran forward Patrick Marleau. "Now, teams are pretty dialled-in. It's about doing those things to be successful each and every shift. You can maybe get away with it early in the season where you don't do it the whole game but you still get a couple goals here and there, but now you're going to need those three or four extra chances to get that one goal."
The Tuesday game against Carolina is important for a number of reasons. It's a chance to get Toronto back in the win column and knock off an opponent that's won three in a row. But it's also a celebration of the Leafs franchise's very first NHL game a century ago, which is why it's being played at the unusual start time of 2 p.m. And most importantly, it's the Buds' final home game of 2017, as they play their final five games of the calendar year on the road. Getting their confidence and building some momentum before they venture out would be a key.
"We've been struggling to find wins on the road," Carrick said. "We're able to get back home and kind of have a little reset. Carolina played us tough when we were on the road there a couple weeks back. We've got to get our game going and be making plays and be getting confident early in the game, because no one's going to take a night off for us."