Stamina spurs Leafs

Leafs coach Paul Maurice hopes it wasn't his imagination on Wednesday night when his team appeared to strengthen in the second and third periods of back-to-back games.

If so, it's an encouraging sign that the all-star break and an ambitious training camp fitness program have made a difference.

"You'd like to think so, but when you win, everything looks good," the coach said. "I felt we did get better as the game went on and it's critical to win back to back in this stretch of the schedule."

Strength and conditioning coach Matt Nichol, who accompanied the team to Carolina and New York, also was pleased.

"The idea is not just to have (fuel) for the long road trips but at the end of the season," Nichol said. "I can't get too excited, because you don't win or lose games specifically because of the strength coach.

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