The Toronto Maple Leafs are a Stanley Cup contender in 2025. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are about to start out in round per week or so. Toronto is seeking to overcome some postseason demons. However they might want to take action with out defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a minimum of to start out.
Ekman-Larsson performed a team-high 25 minutes on Wednesday in opposition to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nonetheless, he fell awkwardly into the boards round a minute and a half into time beyond regulation. He didn’t observe on Friday. The Maple Leafs designated him day-to-day with an undisclosed harm.
Ekman-Larsson’s long-term harm standing stays unclear. However we did be taught extra about his short-term standing. Head coach Craig Berube mentioned Friday that the veteran defenseman is not going to play Saturday, as reported by NHL.com. The Maple Leafs will tackle the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
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This has created a tough state of affairs for Toronto. On account of roster limitations, Toronto is unable to name up one other defenseman. In consequence, the Maple Leafs will play this recreation with 17 skaters and solely 5 defensemen.
“It is all the time difficult however we have performed video games the place we have misplaced a defenseman early within the recreation and also you play with 5,” Berube mentioned of the state of affairs, through NHL.com. “It is vital that our forwards do job of serving to our protection out tomorrow night time and ensuring they get again fast for breakouts and make the sport straightforward on them as a lot as attainable, not getting prolonged shifts within the D-zone and tiring your protection out. That’ll be a giant a part of the sport.”
The Maple Leafs are within the driver’s seat to win the Atlantic Division. Toronto entered play Friday with a three-point lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning atop the division. A win over the Canadiens on Saturday might actually go a good distance towards Toronto formally clinching a division championship in an 82-game season for the primary time since 2000.