Maple Leafs reporter Mark Masters has the latest as the Maple Leafs returned to practice on Sunday after their California road trip.

* Only four reporters turned out for a rare Sunday practice in Toronto. "You guys didn't get the memo about church? This is unbelievable," a smiling Mike Babcock said as he walked into his media session. "You guys should get a bonus." A few minutes earlier Leo Komarov was chirping Nazem Kadri. "Great practice," he told his longtime linemate. "Second star!" Who, a reporter asked, was the first star? "Everyone else," Komarov said with a chuckle. Kadri could only smile. "He likes that joke. I've been hearing that the last three years."

The atmosphere was upbeat as the Leafs worked out at home for the first time since returning from a tough California road trip. "I feel like it's still pretty light," said Kadri of the mood. "No one's panicking, no one's really feeling that much of the pressure. This is fun. This is the situation we want to be in." So, it wasn't quiet on the long plane ride home? "It's tough to be quiet for that long," Kadri said of the cross-continent trip, which ended early Saturday morning. "We just enjoy being around each other. Nobody's hitting the panic button. We still know we're a good team. If we play the right way we know we're going to get these wins."

The Leafs have lost five straight for the first time all season and have fallen out of a playoff spot in the process. "We've had a little lull here and I don't even think we've played terribly," said Babcock. "Last game, we gave up three goals that were just defensive mistakes for no reason so we got to tune'er up defensively and we got to get on a push again." Toronto doesn't play until Tuesday when Detroit visits the Air Canada Centre, but Babcock noted that the team's director of sports science and performance, Dr. Jeremy Bettle, felt it was important that the players get back on the ice on Sunday. So, that gives the coach two practice days in a row for the first time since Dec. 20-21. It comes at an important time. Players noted that Sunday's strenuous 50-minute on-ice session was about sharpening up their structure. "It's just details of our system," said Jake Gardiner, who got caught up ice on Anaheim's first goal on Friday night. "We've been giving them (opponents) a few goals lately and you saw that with some pinches last game. I think if we can play as a five-man unit on defence that will take care of itself."

While Babcock was vocal on the ice with more whiteboard sessions than usual, off the ice he continues to stress the positives. Toronto has, after all, gained at least a point in five of seven games. "We've just had a lull," the coach said. "It's time to get on a roll. You have lulls in a year, that's just the way it is, but if you want to feel sorry for yourself then the lull will continue. You want to dig in a little deeper and bear down. And, I mean, isn't that life? Sport mirrors life. You want to feel bad for yourself and go home and mope then you can do that, but you're not getting any better. But if you want to dig in and get on to the next thing then you can and that's our opportunity right here and right now and I'm confident we'll do that."



Toronto has just five wins in its last 18 games (5-8-5 since Jan. 26). Some Leafs veterans wear scars from recent collapses, but they insist this year is different. The team's style of play is sustainable. They are still driving possession most nights (51.25 CorsiFor% in the last 10 games, 10th in the NHL in that stretch). "I mean, the brand of hockey we're playing is going to work and we just got to stick with it," Morgan Rielly said. "This time of year, I mean, there's not much of a difference in the way you play, but it's all about the little things and I think that's an area where we can sharpen up." Babcock described Toronto's situation as a "perfect spot" for the young group with 10 of the 18 remaining games at home. He said if they were told this was the situation at the start of the season the group would've been pumped. "The excitement for our guys is, these are opportunities they haven't had in a while so let's bear down and take advantage of it," Babcock said. Added Gardiner, "We have such a deep team and we're confident in ourselves, it's just a matter of playing detailed and taking care of the defence first."

* Despite posting nine points in his last eight games, Josh Leivo has sat as a healthy scratch in Toronto's last two outings. Nikita Soshnikov, who has no points in his last eight games, took Leivo's spot. "These are tough decisions, but Sosh is important on our penalty kill and plays real fast so that's where he got the nod the last couple over Leivs," Babcock explained. "Now, I talked to Leivs today and he's just got to keep hunting. And Leivs played good when he was in too, there's no issue with that, it's just one of those situations where this is what we've decided."

* The Leafs are 1-8 in shootouts this season with only Auston Matthews (2/8) and Mitch Marner (3/8) converting on opportunities. James van Riemsdyk (0/2), Tyler Bozak (0/3), Kadri (0/2), Soshnikov (0/2) and William Nylander (0/2) have all been shut out. In light of the cheeky goal scored by Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov in a shootout Saturday night, Babcock was asked if he thought his players should try and have more fun or be more creative during the tiebreaker. "You should tell the guys to have more fun when they're doing it," Babcock replied. "This is your butt when you're out there (clenching motion) so you understand what I'm saying to ya? And it's no different for the goalie. If we got him some run support it would be way easier for the goalie too. Our record is what our record is and the greatest thing about it is we're going to get another opportunity, I'm sure of it." Babcock does expect some adjustments moving forward. "How's it going doing it the way we're doing it? So, when you get your opportunity you want to bear down and make it count, but there's no sense being all wound up. That doesn't do you any good." Newcomer Brian Boyle is 2/3 in shootouts this season and was included in the Leafs end-of-skate drill on Thursday morning.



* Lines at Leafs practice:

Hyman-Matthews-Nylander

Komarov-Kadri-Brown

van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Marner

Martin-Boyle-Soshnikov

Fehr, Leivo

Rielly-Zaitsev

Gardiner-Marchenko

Hunwick-Polak

Marincin-Smith^

Andersen

McElhinney

^ Forward Ben Smith practised as a defenceman

* Power play units at Leafs practice:

Zaitsev

Bozak-Kadri-Marner

JVR

Gardiner

Matthews-Leivo^-Nylander

Martin^

^ Leivo and Martin usually placeholders for Brown, Komarov