Nylander in for big test against Lightning With Auston Matthews still recovering from a shoulder injury, William Nylander will continue to skate as a centre with wingers Zach Hyman and rookie Andreas Johnsson Tuesday against the Lightning, Mark Masters writes.

TSN Toronto reporter Mark Masters checks in daily with news and notes from Maple Leafs practices and game-day skates. The Leafs practised at the MasterCard Centre on Monday before travelling to Tampa to face the Lightning Tuesday night.

With top-line Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews still sidelined – head coach Mike Babcock confirmed Matthews will miss a 10th straight game on Tuesday – with a shoulder injury, William Nylander will continue to skate as a centre. His line with wingers Zach Hyman and rookie Andreas Johnsson excelled on Saturday night against the lowly Montreal Canadiens.

“I thought Willie had a good game last game," Babcock said. "In saying that, each and every night there’s a test for you and it’s never a skill-set (issue), it’s your determination to play without the puck and your puck pressure in the D zone your ability to sort things out and some nights the matchups are easier than others. I can guarantee you the next two nights they won’t be easy.”

Nylander struggled in his last trip to Tampa, which saw him match wits with Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point.

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Babcock isn't sure if Frederik Andersen will start on Tuesday, but the goalie was a full participant in Monday’s practice and said he felt good during the workout. It was his first session with teammates since leaving Wednesday's game due to an upper-body injury.

“It happened with the collision with (Roman) Polak and (Alexander) Radulov there," Andersen explained. "I wanted to try and see how it felt in the second, but I wasn’t feeling well and I needed to get out."

Andersen allowed three goals after the collision with Radulov before deciding to leave the game at the first commercial timeout in the second period.

“It’s such a quick game that if you’re not feeling 100 per cent it’s going to show up pretty quick. I think that was pretty obvious in that game.”

Andersen may not start against the Lightning, but it seems likely that he'll at least dress considering the team loaned emergency call-up Garret Sparks back to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies before Monday's practice.

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On Monday, Nikita Zaitsev practised with his teammates for the first time since March 9. The defenceman has been sidelined with an illness missing the last four games. Has he ever experienced a flu bug like this one?

“Yeah, I have," the Russian noted, "When I was young, pretty young. Yeah, it was craziness.”

Zaitsev will miss a fifth straight game on Tuesday and Babcock says he needs to work on getting his weight back up.

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Leo Komarov skated before practice for about 15 minutes, but did not stay out for the main session. The gritty winger will miss a second straight game on Tuesday.

Babcock noted that all the injured players will be on the road trip, which wraps up on Thursday in Nashville.

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Matthews and Morgan Rielly watched the Raptors-Thunder thriller from floor seats on Sunday afternoon.

"It was awesome," Matthews said. "Yeah, I’ve never experienced a basketball game from there, so it’s definitely pretty physical and it was a pretty fun game, right down to the wire."

Matthews became an Oklahoma City fan after the franchise relocated from Seattle and has an affinity for Russell Westbrook.

"I just think he’s very unique," said Matthews. "He plays with a lot of passion, unique personality and his style and everything. I think he’s a pretty special player as well so it was fun to watch."

Matthews met Westbrook for the first time after the game.

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Lines at Monday's practice:

Forwards

Marleau-Kadri-Marner

Johnsson-Nylander-Hyman

van Riemsdyk-Bozak-Brown

Leivo-Plekanec-Kapanen

Matthews, Martin

Defencemen

Rielly-Hainsey

Gardiner-Polak

Dermott-Carrick

Moore-Zaitsev

Goaltenders

Andersen

McElhinney

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Power-play units at Monday’s practice:

Rielly

Bozak-Kadri-Marner

van Riemsdyk

Gardiner

Leivo-Johnsson-Nylander

Marleau