We’re at the midway point of the preseason, as the Toronto Maple Leafs square off against the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday evening. Camp battles are really coming into focus, while all eyes appear to be on Easton Cowan tonight, who will play alongside Max Domi and Mitch Marner — all of whom played for the OHL’s London Knights, and Cowan idolized Marner growing up.

Auston Matthews and Calle Jarnkrok will not play Thursday due to injuries. Matthews and Jarnkrok were both getting work in prior to Thursday’s practice, but Matthews skated with the game group, while Jarnkrok left after his individual work finished.

Toronto was swept by Ottawa during its preseason series, but the process ultimately matters more than the results.

Here are some pre-game notes and observations:

Max Pacioretty is pulling away from the rest of the forwards at camp, and there seems to be an implicit understanding that he’ll sign a full professional contract once camp ends. Pacioretty scored twice in Sunday’s preseason opener, while being primarily paired alongside John Tavares.

“I feel a little bit more confident, where I’m at right now. We’re in the guts of camp so I feel better about my legs and my touches, and hopefully I’ll have a good game,” Pacioretty said after Thursday’s practice session ended.

It appears that Pacioretty will be paired alongside Tavares again, and he spoke about the chemistry they’ve developed, along with a further appreciation of Tavares’ positional sense and hockey intelligence.

“When we talked a little bit after the game and during the game, it’s kinda like that old school-like mentality that isn’t really around the league as much as it was when I was playing at my best. It reminds me a lot of guy like (Mark) Stone, I mention maybe a guy like (Sebastian) Aho, more give-and-go hockey. Moving it quickly, he’s always in the right place at the right time, it’s so obvious. Sometimes with guys like that you understand why they’re so good, but when you play with them, it’s on a whole new level. Really my first shift with him, you realize ‘oh wow, this guy’s always in the right spots!'”

“Obviously, he works super hard and plays the right way but I think him being in the right spots at all times shows why he’s had so much success.”

Pacioretty said he’s looking to become more comfortable with the puck, with a particular emphasis down low in the offensive zone, an area where he’s generated a ton of offense throughout his 902-game career.

Through the opening week of camp, the primary focus has been on the battles for the few forward spots available, with the Maple Leafs boasting a surplus of NHL-level attackers, and rightfully so. On the blue line, it’s been a completely different story with relatively few surprises and it’s been reflected in Thursday’s roster.

The expected opening night groups of Morgan Rielly-Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson-Jake McCabe and Simon Benoit-Timothy Liljegren will take the ice Thursday, with an opportunity to build further chemistry and continuity before the season begins. Tanev has been largely been as good as advertised — although there were a few miscommunications with Rielly in Sunday’s preseason opener, he registered three assists and has looked every bit the part of shutdown defender during practice sessions.

McCabe and the Maple Leafs are discussing an extension and he’s become an invaluable member of the current group. It’s not that he needs extrinsic motivation, especially during the preseason, but he’s poised for a huge year and it’ll be compelling to see how he functions with Ekman-Larsson, who had a stellar year with the champion Florida Panthers, against weaker competition.

Benoit has returned to camp after the birth of his first child and he was the positive surprise of the 2023-24 season for the Maple leafs, becoming a fan favourite for his defensive sturdiness and physicality. It’s an intriguing mix of skill, fluidity when paired with Liljegren, with the upside to routinely outperform bottom-six forwards in the regular season.

All eyes have been on Easton Cowan, Toronto’s top prospect, through the opening week of camp. He’s submitted a series of mixed performances, where his skill, speed and opportunism are evident, but he’s also been prone to a few defensive mistakes and has been asked to simplify his game.

Cowan will be paired alongside Max Domi and Mitch Marner, one of his idols growing up. All three players played for the London Knights during their OHL careers, with Cowan coming off a tour-de-force major junior season where he won OHL MVP, OHL Playoff MVP and steered the Knights to the Memorial Cup Final.

“I think he’s obviously put a lot of pressure on himself here coming into camp. He needs to go out and play his game tonight. He’ll be with some good teammates and linemates. Just go out and play his game,” Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Cowan after Thursday’s practice sessions ended via David Alter of The Hockey News.

It’s a golden opportunity for Cowan and Steven Ellis wrote extensively about the opportunity he has with Domi and Marner tonight, playing alongside two Maple Leafs regulars with a real chance to make the opening night roster.

“They’re really good playmakers, so if I find some open space and have my stick on the ice, they’re probably going to find me,” Cowan said. “So I’ll try my best to get open and cause some stuff around the net.”