On the plus side

Nobody in hockey wants to win the green jacket.

A minus-29 may be a dream come true in golf, but in hockey it's a nightmare. Just ask Tyler Bozak.

Miscast at the team's No. 1 centre from the outset in his first full season in the NHL last year, Bozak never looked comfortable in the role and his normally solid defensive play suffered to the point where he was a team-worst minus-29. Bozak spent the entire summer thinking about last year and how he could improve that miserable statistic.

"It was a huge goal, to have a better plus-minus," Bozak said. "I've never been a minus player my whole career so it was really hard on me to deal with that. I got a lot of confidence back this summer and it was my No. 1 goal this season to be a better player defensively. I've always known that defence turns to offence and if you are cheating in the defensive zone to get offensive opportunities you're going to get scored on more often than you score. It's been going well so far, but I just have to stay consistent."

In fact his entire line has been the model of consistency through Toronto's first three games of the season - all victories. Kessel, who opened last season with seven goals and nine points in the Maple Leafs first eight games, is in a three-way tie for first in league scoring with five goals and eight points. Lupul has two goals and five points while Bozak has three assists. Better still, the trio is a combined plus-18, something that certainly has put a smile on Bozak's face.

"I was really frustrated last season," Bozak said. "It just felt like they wouldn't stop going in when I was on the ice. We were getting our share of chances in the offensive zone and pucks wouldn't go in for us and then in the defensive zone it seemed like pucks were always going in our net. I learned a lot about controlling my frustration and staying confident. I think that'll help me a lot this year.

"It's not so much about having to change the way I played. A lot of coaches I played for thought I was a good defensive player, but when my confidence was down in terms of offence last year I tended to cheat in the defensive zone expecting to get loose pucks, but it didn't happen. You learn that defence turns into offence and if you keep your own end clean then the points are going to come."

Toronto coach Ron Wilson said there was a logical reason why Bozak's defensive play suffered last season.

"It's not just about him," Wilson said. "Plus-minus isn't just one guy. He wasn't the guy goofing up; he was running around trying to do everybody's job. Phil is playing better without the puck this year and that helps. Bozie was doing a lot of two-man and three-man jobs out there. Then he just got overwhelmed by the whole thing and you start chasing your tail. This year he's off to a good start and it'll continue."

Wilson maintains that Bozak is only holding down a spot on the big line until injured Tim Connolly returns from an upper body injury that has sidelined him for nearly a month. Connolly was signed as an unrestricted free agent this past summer with the hopes of supplying Kessel with a playmaker. However, if the Leafs keep winning and the line continues to shine, it's hard to imagine the coach busting up the unit.

"Bozie's got confidence and he's improved his game," the coach said. "He knows ultimately what his role is going to be on the team when Tim Connolly gets back. He's kind of keeping the seat warm for Connolly and he'll be on the third line more than likely, but it's nice to have that kind of depth."

Bozak said he's not concerned about what will happen down the road. For now he's enjoying the ride.

"I'm not thinking about that at all," Bozak said. "I'm just trying to fill his spot as best I can and things are working right now. If he comes back and takes it, that's fine. I mean, he's a great player. I'm just trying to do the best I can while I have the opportunity. I'm just going on there and trying to be consistent and be good every night trying to help the team win as much as we can. Obviously you want to get points and you want to do well in your own end. Wherever I fit in best that will be the role I take on and I'll try to do the best I can at it."

NOTES: Tough guys Mike Brown and Colton Orr missed practice Sunday. Brown is nursing a sore hand that he hurt in Saturday night's bout against Calgary's Tom Kostopoulos … Centre Nazem Kadri said he is getting close to returning from a knee injury that has kept him on the shelf since before the regular season began. "There's no sense in coming back until I'm 100 per cent better and ready to play as well as I can," Kadri said … Centre Joe Colborne has five points in his last two games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL as of Saturday night.

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.